Ninjago: bk1- The Golden Weapons
by HailsStorm
Summary: Kai is a blacksmith who lives in Ignacia. He recently has taken over his deceased father's shop along with his sister, Nya. But when Skulkin Warriors raid the town, Kai's sister is kidnapped. Sensei Wu offers to help, but under one condition. He trains to become a Ninja along with 4 others. Now it's a hot mess and a race against time to retrieve the 4 golden weapons of Spinjitzu.
1. Prologue

**A/N:**

 **Hails: I've wanted to do an Oc story for a long time that I never got around to doing. Don't hate. This is for my entertainment and not necessarily anyone else. Don't like, don't read. It's that simple. If I catch any flames I will block you. Capish?  
**

 **Also, I am trying my best to figure out a Backstory for my Oc. It's really, kinda hard. I want it to be a good backstory, but I don't wanna go overboard. I kinda want her to be normal, like have a backstory that is similar to the Ninja, but I can't do that because I am dead set on her relationships and element. Tell me later throughout the story if her backstory is too much.**

 **One more thing, I had another prologue, but I am not so sure I liked it. It was over 8000 words long and Oc centric. Yeah...**

 **Let's just start.**

* * *

 _The Blacksmith._

 _The Inventor._

 _The Runaway._

 _The Stranger._

 _The Wanderer._

 _They all have something in common. They are the pieces on the chess board of Destiny's sick game. The one where luck doesn't favor the good people. Where the good guys struggle to overcome what they fear. The same one where the bad guys are always so close to winning, but never do. It's always the White King and his righteous people that defend the land with the supernatural, who defeat the Black King and his tainted souls who follow him blindly, who defeat the one's who wish to see the world cursed._

 _The White King and his soldiers of light are decedents of the good and worthy with the powers Ninjago has to offer. The ones as solid as earth, the ones as quick as lightning, as graceful as the wind, as deadly as ice, and as powerful as fire. Each have their own destructive power, if they were in the wrong hands. But in the souls of the good people, they are used to destroy the darkness that corrupts the world. They each hold a special place within the White King's heart. He created the world for them so they may live good lives. He with two children who would one day lead them. Brothers. The two White Princes to show the soldiers of power a path of light.  
_

 _The Black King and his army of shadows are deadly. They seek the power that Ninjago cannot offer, and they must create it themselves with black magic. They are disposable in the eyes of the evil. They are expendable, and hardly a single one of them has a heart not entirely black. Only the rarest ones feel something. The dead, the snakes, the pirates, the lost souls who seek revenge. Even a corrupted white prince that evens out the odds. Now instead of two, there is only one white prince, and a dark prince._

 _When the White King passed away, both of the princes swore to protect the golden tools that he created their world with. A burning sword, a pair of electric nunchucks, an unbreakable scythe, and a pair of freezing shurikens. The younger stayed true to his word, but the elder was consumed by darkness. A battle between brothers broke out between them, and the elder was struck down to the underworld. The younger returned the peace, but hid the weapons, even placing a guardian to protect them from his brother. To this day, he has no knowledge of his brother's motives, or when he will strike again.  
_

 _So as years have passed, he seeks five warriors to defend the weapons of creation. To be powerful, quick, graceful, agile, but above all, honorable. He must defeat his brother with the aid of these warriors. He must protect Ninjago.  
_

* * *

 _It poured rain, it was dark and gloomy, and a funeral service had long ended with only two figures standing idly by, dressed in black. A large umbrella was draped over the two._

 _A young girl and boy whimpered sadly as they stared at the graves of their recently deceased mother and father. They died protecting the village from many a villain they hadn't recognized. Only shadows and the sounds of screams were what they could make out as they were locked away in the attic for safety. The girl shuddered at the memory. The boy realized her fear, and wrapped a reassuring arm around her, protecting her from the words that only made her cry. RIP for rest in peace. She really hoped they would._

 _"Don't worry." The boy soothed. "I'll protect you."_

 _"And I, you." The girl vowed this silently as she cried into her brother's chest._

* * *

 _He tinkered with some nuts and bolts, a kid, finding it much more fascinating then any of the toys his parents ever bought him. Even at only age six, he wanted to go out into the world and see things. He wanted to invent like his father and have a girl like his mother tell him his inventions were incredible. Maybe even a girl who liked to mess around with electricity and metal the way he wanted to do._

 _"Hey, kiddo!" The sound of his father's voice coming from inside his home made the boy jackknife to his feet. The sun was setting in the western part of the horizon where an ocean was just barely visible. While in the northeastern, lightning flashed and dark clouds spread menacingly over it. The boy gulped, hoping that if it passed over his parents junkyard, that the lightning rod would protect the place. "Time to come in, it's almost bed time."_

 _"Coming, dad!" The boy briefly forgot his fear of the storm, grabbed his minor tools, and took off towards his home._

* * *

 _A boy, no older than the age of seven, stared out the window of his dorm at his school. A full moon shone bright, unlike the future he thought he was sure to have, not like this anyway. He wasn't very pleased to be in this position, his father had sent him here, pressuring him into following in his footsteps. It had only been two days and he was already debating running away. He looked around the room at the five other sleeping boys, and sighed deeply. They were hardly friends anyway. He made his way over to his bed, and changed out of his pajamas and into a dark hoody and pants. He moved quickly as he stuffed his duffel bag full of clothes, survival food he had hidden under the floor boards of his room, and a fair amount of money to support him for a while. Hopefully he wouldn't need parental permission to do certain things, like getting transportation.  
_

 _With a silent farewell, he climbed out the window, and ran off into the night._

* * *

 _He wasn't sure where he was. He had just woken up, and there was snow everywhere. All he wore was a simple blue top and bottoms, but nothing covered his feet. He didn't really mind though, he didn't feel the cold. Everything was just a mystery, but his eyes caught the glimpse of many different people watching him. They had the same attire he had, but wore boots to protect their feet. He stared curiously. He hardly looked at the surroundings, taking in that he was in a village, as there were brick houses with sturdy roofs to defend against harsh blizzards._

 _He had no knowledge of anything, to him, there was nothing to occupy himself, and no one in the crowd he recognized. To the villagers, he was nothing more than a mere stranger._

* * *

 _The master is quite terrifying. She is not kind. She is not gracious. She was almost as strong as the being who could fight for eternity against the First Spinjitzu Master. A young man, who resided simply stared a girl trapped in a clear and smooth light blue crystal that protruded from the ceiling. She seemed to sleep peacefully. It glowed dimly, and she could be no older than the young man. The words of his former master and himself echoing in his head._

Do not drag you sister into this! She has nothing to do with it!

I will do as please. You do not command me anymore!

 _"Will you release her?" Behind the ghastly looking man, was a hooded figure._

 _"Now is not the time. Just a few more years." His expression was grim as the young man spoke. "But she grows older, even under the protection of this spell." He explained. "I don't want that for her. Not yet, anyway. She deserves better. That is why I have this." The man held up a simple silver chain, and tied to very end was a deep blue sapphire that resembled a raindrop. "It should slow her aging process."_

 _"And what if she is freed?" The hooded figure asked._

 _"Then she will age normally, and the necklace will take on a new effect. Whenever I am near, she will know."_

 _"But she is being sent into another realm-"_

 _"Yes, it will be a while before I get close. But I am not worried about it." The young man interrupted the hooded figure's protests. The girl in the crystal writhed a little within her dormant state. "I guess I better take care of this." The young man reached into the crystal, the surface rippling like water, and he placed the necklace around the girl's neck._


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

 **Hails: The second chapter is being made as we speak.  
**

* * *

The fall season is here, the leaves are turning and the days are getting shorter. The place could only be described as having a specific air about it, something different and unfamiliar, but refreshing. The sun setting, turns a normal blue sky into an orange zircon with yellow hues mixed in. The clouds begin to purple, it was close to night. But in Ignacia, you mustn't be idle, you mustn't delay, for the Harvest Moon is almost upon us.

Work fast, dear farmers. With your sunhats shading your face. You with your light clothing, so you do not burn up. The men with short hair and the woman with loose ponytails. You start young at fourteen and work until you can no more. You must have the rice ready for the festival. The biggest one of the year, that celebrates the tradition of dragons. There will be fire, and music, and a great big feast. Do not go unused, do not be inactive. Everyone prepares for the biggest celebration of the year. The Dragon Festival. So as the bakers make sugary pastries and bread, do the farmers harvest rice. As the girls practice an alluring dance, do the brewers make succulent drinks. And as people prepare, does the blacksmith and his sister.

 _Clang! Clang! Clang!_

A young man, more of a teenager still, no older than sixteen years of age, pounded away with a hammer against an anvil. He continued to craft his weapon, a sharp katana that glowed dimly because of heat. The young smith's hands would be calloused had he been working at the fire and anvil for years, however he is not his father, and he has just taken over the blacksmith shop. He is a beginner, and he can't create weapons the way his father can. His amber eyes, like the inside of an oven, burn with determination. This is not the first time he has tried, he had been working since the shop opened. His hair is spiky and wild, the color of light coffee. A thick locks a beautiful brown that most would be envious of. His skin was slightly tan. He wears light clothing like all the other workers, and a heavy apron to protect him from the heat.

"To forge the perfect weapon..." The boy said, remembering his father's words. "you first need the right metal and plenty of heat. Cool it off..." The teenager submerged the weapon in a pool of water. Steam billowed off of the sword and it hissed, the heat dislikes the cold. Just as fire dislikes water. "and presto!" The young man pulled the sword from the barrel full of rainwater, only to find to his dismay that instead of a wickedly sharp and expertly made weapon, it was loopy, flexible, and at the very most, wonky. The boy groaned unhappily.

Nearby, the sister watched with curious eyes and giggled at her brother's failure, finding it slightly amusing. She had deep ebony hair that flowed like a waterfall down her cheeks and rested above the shoulders. Her eyes were blue, deep like the sea. She had fair skin, and was more beautiful than any gem. She wore a modern red kimono top and pants made of fine silk. She also donned a skit, high slits to provide mobility. Creeping from the waist up were several phoenix symbols, representing rebirth and beauty. The collar was high, and tied around her waist and hips was a crimson sash. This wasn't your normal everyday outfit, but when the Dragon Festival fell upon Ignacia, this girl would be one of the main dancers of grace and perfection.

"You made it too quickly, Kai. Be patient." She scolded lightly. "If father were still here, he'd say-" She was cut off suddenly when her brother finished the sentence.

"I know, "no matter how much fire you have, experience isn't something you learn overnight."" He quoted. He placed the weapon back on the coals, taking a mental note to throw it into the pile of failed weapons. "That may work for you, Nya. But I'm gonna be a better blacksmith than dad ever was." Pride filled the young man, he was sure he could do it. He just had to put his mind to it.

"You're metal is loud and heavy." A wise voice spoke. Both young adults turned to the store front where an elderly man stood by patiently. Like many of the farmers, a sun hat was perched upon his head. He had crystal blue eyes and his most prominent feature was the long snowy white beard. He wore a simple white kimono and in his hand was bamboo staff. "Useful to slow one down, useless in the art of stealth. All tools for a samurai," he tapped a stack of helmets with his staff, causing them to tip slightly. "but nothing for a Ninja?" The elder asked. Kai chuckled humorously like the question was a joke.

"Ninja?" He asked. "You're a long way from finding a Ninja in these parts old man. And the shop is called "Four Weapons"," Kai explained sarcastically, motioning to the sign above the front. "not "four" browsing. Either buy something or go pedal your insults somewhere else." The elder scoffed, and turned to walk away.

"Too bad, thought I'd find something special here." Nya motioned for her brother to do something, thinking they might lose a customer.

"If it's something special you're looking for. Let me sh-" Kai made his way to the farther back of the shop, pulling out an expertly crafted samurai helmet his father had crafted a while ago. Feeling eager to get rid of it and any memories that hurt, he was ready to offer it away. He stopped his sentence suddenly when he realized the man was no longer there. He had just, disappeared. He looked around for a moment, trying to find where he went.

"What is it?" Nya asked, like the man had never been there in the first place.

"He was just-" Kai trailed off for a moment, then shook his head and placed the helmet back in the box. "Forget it."

How strange for a man like he to show up in Four Weapons. The world works in mysterious ways, doesn't it?


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

 **Hails: So close so close. I'm nearly done with chapter 3... Actually, I can't lie. I'm right in the middle of chapter 5.**

* * *

Dark, blue clouds loomed over Ignacia threateningly, making it dark and cold for those who were working. The farmers halted their work and glanced up, knowing night couldn't have befallen already. There was still at the very least, forty five minutes until the sun was completely gone. On the highest hill Ignacia knew well as the one many children loved to play King of the Hill on, an army of skeletal decorated vehicles roared over. Atop many of them, were deadly and red eyed skulkin warriors. Perched up on the main was vehicle was bony skeleton, four large arms protruded from his shoulders and side, and brown torso armor with the symbol of the Skeleton Army sat snugly against his chest and midriff. On what would be his eyebrows, were metal studs like piercings he must have had before he died. He was flanked by two lesser skeletons.

"doh, doh! Lemme go first! Please, oh, please!" The one on the left begged in an elated tone. His armor was blue and silver, and wedged into his left eye was a sheet of metal, acting as if it were an eye patch. He nearly seemed like a little child, pleading with his parent to buy him something in a candy store. "I'm dying to go down there!"

"You nitwit, you're already dead! Try to control yourself in front of Master Samukai!" The one on the left scolded, motioning to his master. On his head was a samurai helmet and protecting his shoulders were black guards. Not unlike the other skeletons, his red eyes burned with a hunger for evil and chaos. He cleared his throat before turning to Samukai. "Uh, with all due respect, last time, you did say that I could go first." Samukai shot both skeletons a glance before finding a solution to their bickering.

"Sorry, boys. This one's mine." He said in a gravely voice. "Just remember what we're after," He instructed. "and find that map." He gave forth the one word his army anticipated for. The one command that would allow disorder to ensue. "ATTACK!"

Many of the farmers realized he had waged a battle, and readied their make do weapons. Staffs and hoes and even just feet and fists for hand to hand combat.

"Attack!" They shouted. They charged for the vehicles, figuring out an attack pattern. But with one menacing glare and shout from Samukai, they ran, scared for their lives. They could not win this battle. Most of the motorbikes sped by Four Weapons and into town, for the exception of the main vehicle, which resembled a monster truck, and a couple other minor bikes.

* * *

"What are they?" Nya asked curiously. Coming up beside her, Kai already held a shoddy cutlass, though one of his better weapons, and it would have to make due for now. He had already strapped on a chest plate for protection, and scowled at the sight of his hometown being terrorized.

"I don't know." He answered. His protective instincts kicked in, and he held his weapon at the ready. "Stay here." Kai carefully made his way out to the store front where multiple skeletons hopped off their bikes and began to advance. Remembering the limited training his father had given him, he lunged forward and parried the nearest soldier's attack, throwing him off. He swung his sword for the neck of another warrior, but the head bounced up off the shoulders, and was only knocked off. The body fell near instantly, leaving Kai to fend against the other skeletons. Kai cringed when he felt a sudden pain in his foot, and looked down to see the skeleton head of his previous opponent had bit him. "Ow!" He exclaimed. He growled, and backed away a few steps, eying the skull like it was soccer ball. "Bite this!" Kai lunged forward and punted the skull over the roof of the Four Weapons blacksmith shop. Standing idly by were a couple of skeletons who clapped stupidly in awe at the feat. Unbeknownst that behind them, was another figure. Nya.

With strong, powerful movements, she knocked the two warriors off their feet and defeated them with ease. Kai looked at her in disbelief. "I thought I told you to stay back." He protested.

"And what?" Nya said. The pair of siblings defended the shop, now with more power and ease. "Let you have all the fun." Unknowingly, behind them, the two skeletons bickering prior to the battle, Kruncha and Nuckal, were sneaking behind the scenes and into shop. They searched for hardly a moment, and Nuckal placed one of the helmets upon his head, admiring the look in a nearby brass gong that reflected his appearance. Kruncha turned to his friend and was filled with rage to see he wasn't looking for the map.

"You're not looking hard enough!" He jeered. Kruncha picked up a nearby helmet, and chucked it at Nuckal, knocking the latter's head gear off. Nuckal growled in pain.

"Ow!" He whined, before a scowl crossed his face, and he hurled his own ammo of a helmet back at Kruncha. "You're not looking hard enough!" This escalated quickly into a slap fight between the two skeletons, and they fought it out as if they were children. Kruncha reared back, and uppercut Nuckal underneath the chin, throwing him back into a wall where there was corded phone that fell, and everything tipped into place like dominoes. The wooden beam that the phone was attached to fell over and hit the main pole holding up the Four Weapons Blacksmith Shop banner. As Kruncha and Nuckal prepared to fight again, the banner was brought down and the noise made them glance to the sight. Stuck behind the sign was an old and worn papyrus scroll. They recognized it instantly.

"The map!" They exclaimed excitedly.

* * *

Outside the shop, Kai and Nya had scared off or defeated most of the skeletons. The two had separated for a brief while to spread the range of their attacks. When the sound of a loud _thud!_ sounded, Kai turned to find a rather large skeleton with four arms, however he hadn't know it was partly a distraction so Kruncha and Nuckal could come racing out of the shop unnoticed. It must have been the general leading the attack. _Finally! A worthy opponent!_ Kai though excitedly. He had taken out all the other minor soldiers with such ease, that he was beginning to get bored. Kai laughed rather proudly as he raised his cutlass, and prepared to attack. What he hadn't anticipated was the general having four deadly and wickedly sharp knives made of hardened bone. He pulled them out from behind his back and gave an amused chuckle. _How cute._ He thought, feeling sorry for the poor sap who would have to fight him.

"Whoops..." Kai trailed off, realizing his mistake and that his pride had gotten the better of him. Samukai grunted as he lunged forward. All the weapons clashed against each other, and it wasn't long before Kai's sword was flying threw the air, over him, and he was kicked to the ground before he could watch the sword land behind him about six feet away. It was impossible to get without injuring himself. One wrong move and Kai would be mince meat. He stared, his amber eyes burning with hatred, and slight disappointment for his defeat. If he would go down, he would go down with dignity by staring down his opponent in anger.

Samukai twirled his daggers threateningly, advancing on Kai slowly.

"Ninja, GO!" Kai saw a flash of gold and Samukai was knocked from his vision. The general of the skeletons was smacked around for a bit by golden tornado, but when it dispersed, the elder Kai had met in his shop not that long ago was standing there.

"Sensei Wu." Samukai snarled. "You're Spinjitzu looks rusty."

"Nothing like bone to sharpen it's edge, Samukai." Sensei countered wisely. Samukai knew he would be beat if he fought the wise Sensei, so he would have to distract his enemy, and then achieve his goal. Samukai turned to the sound of Kai struggling to get up off of the ground, the armor weighing him down far too much, and he was not strong enough to stand. Then he eyed the water tower behind Sensei Wu. he Skulkin General chuckled evilly as an idea went off in his head. He hurled his daggers to Sensei Wu, knowing the latter would dodge. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, from the knives colliding with unstable water tower, to the structure falling to the ground.

Sensei Wu reacted quickly, and in a split second decision, he used his Spinjitzu, and shoved Kai out of the way, the both of them slid across the ground, and Sensei jackknifed to his feet. He watched as Samukai hopped into the terrifying monster of a vehicle, and bellowed out a command.

"Lord Garmadon says "take the girl!"" Sensei felt his heart sink at the sound of that name.

"Lord Garmadon?" He spluttered out like the name was poison on his tongue.

Kruncha listened and obeyed with ease, and with the simple action of pulling a lever, a large skeletal hand was launched from the truck. It flew across the air and caged Nya, who hadn't been paying attention as it wrapped around her tightly. She gasped at the sudden grab, and screamed when the device yanked her back through the air to captivity.

"Nya!" Kai yelled helplessly. Samukai laughed at Kai's uselessness, and with that, he reared his truck and took off into the darkness. The deep clouds had not dispersed, it was as if they were there to stay, until an evil could be defeated. Kai wanted to sink to his knees and cry for his failure to protect his sister. "They took Nya." He whispered, silent tears welling up in eyes.

"I told you." Sensei Wu said lightheartedly, tapping Kai's helmet with his staff. "Useless." Kai growled angrily, not finding it in the least bit funny that his sister had been kidnapped. How could this man just joke around and be humorous when a life was at stake?

"You could've done something!" Kai directed his anger towards Sensei Wu, doing his best to remember what Samukai had called that tornado move. "You could've used your- your- twistitzu or your- your-" Kai spluttered out, trying his best to make the elder feel guilty, and once again, failing.

"Spinjitzu." Sensei Wu corrected harshly.

"You did nothing." Kai hissed. He began marching in the direction the Skulkin went off in. "I'm going to get my sister back."

"Where they go, a mortal cannot." Sensei Wu said, making Kai stop in his tracks. "That was Samukai, King of the Underworld. And if it's true he's carrying out orders for Lord Garmadon. Then I fear things are far worse than I had ever thought." Kai turned around and marched up to Sensei Wu, a million questions bouncing off the inside of his head.

"Lord Garmadon? Underworld?" Kai asked. "What's going on? What do we have that's so important to them? And why would they take my sister?"

"What's so important?" Sensei repeated the question, trying to make is sound much more sinister than Kai made it out to be. "How about everything in Ninjago itself."

* * *

 _Imagine a background made of papyrus, and a picture is being painted before your very eyes as a story is being told.  
_

 _"Long before time had a name, Ninjago was created by the First Spinjitzu Master."_

 _Imagine that on this, there is what appears a simple man, who with lithe and clear movements, is creating the world around himself._

 _"By using the four weapons of Spinjitzu. The Scythe of Quakes, the Nunchucks of Lightning, the Shurikens of Ice, and the Sword of Fire."_

 _"Weapons so powerful, no one could handle ALL of their power at once."_

 _Imagine now, that the man is fading, and two more young men are kneeling at his feet. One of them, the younger, is a man with blonde hair and blue eyes. He is wise and kind and pure of heart. The other, the elder of the two, had deep brown hair and red eyes. He reckless and possessive and his soul has been tainted by the venom of a snake._

 _"When he passed away, his two sons swore to protect them. But the oldest was consumed by darkness, and wanted to possess them."_

 _Imagine there is a battle taking place between the two brothers, each side almost equal in power._

 _"A battle broke out, and the oldest was struck down and banished to the Underworld."_

 _Imagine the the darker brother is falling, struck by lightning to eternal darkness._

 _"Peace returned, and the younger brother hid the weapons. But knowing his brother's relentless ambition for power, he placed a guardian to protect them."_

 _Imagine the shadow of a menacing guardian protecting the resting place of the weapons._

 _"And for fear of his own demise, a map for an honest man to hide."_

* * *

"That honest man, was your father." Kai perked up a bit at the sound of his father. Any information about him was good in his eyes. In honesty, he wanted to know how his parents died. "The older brother is Lord Garmadon, and I need to find those weapons before he does." A dawning realizing came upon Kai at that point.

"Y-your the younger brother?" Kai asked. "Then you came here looking for the map?"

"No, I came for something greater." Sensei said. He whirled around and pointed his staff at Kai."You." He voiced. He paced around a bit. "Since my brother cannot enter this realm, it's obvious he has struck a deal with Samukai. If he were to collect all four weapons, not even I would be able to stop him again." He jerked his staff in Kai's direction again. "But you, you have the fire inside. I will train you to harness it, use it, become a Spinjitzu Master."

"Look. I'm flattered you think I'm all that." Kai said. He had taken a seat on a log prior to Sensei Wu's story, and he hopped off it. "But I gotta save my sister. Not get caught up in sibling rivalry." Kai began walking away, but there was a sudden shout, and before he could comprehend it, Sensei Wu had knocked him flat onto his back, his staff at Kai's face.

"Ha, ha." Sensei Wu chuckled, amused at Kai's determination. "Clunky mule." Kai struggled underneath Sensei Wu's and the armor's weight. "You are not even ready to face my pinky toe. If you want to get your sister back, you must control the fire that burns inside. Only when you become a Spinjitzu Master, will you be able to face Lord Garmadon."

Kai groaned, realizing he didn't have a choice.

"Okay, then when do we start?"


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

 **Hails: I like being on an updating streak.  
**

* * *

Kai struggled to reach the top of the mountain, having attempted to follow his new Sensei who was climbing it with ease as if he were a spider on a wall. He looked up, desperate to see how much farther it was to the top, and he groaned. It was gonna be a long day. He forced himself to keep going until he reached the top. After all, it was for the sake of his very own sister. He grabbed the stone ledge, and hoisted himself to the top to find Sensei Wu sitting on a rock in front of a building. It had a tall, white brick wall and it appeared the only way to get in was to either climb over, or go through the doors.

"How long is this training gonna be?" Kai asked. "Aren't we in a little bit of a rush since they have the map?" Sensei stood, and stared at Kai calmly.

"Patience." He said. Sensei opened up the pair of dark wooden, double and lead Kai inside. "You will be ready when you are ready, not a moment sooner."

"A monastery. You expect me to learn how to fight in a place of peace?" Kai queried. His Sensei made no sense at all, and he was about ready to hurl himself off the Mountain of Impossible Height if it weren't for the fact that he needed to save his sister. The monastery was shaped like a hexagon, and the ground was made of firm stone, and a few, circular, wooden platforms in four of the six corners that appeared to be imbedded deep into the ground. There was a patio leading to the many doors that went around the building. In the center was a large golden statue of a dragon.

"Not fight, train." Sensei said. He made his way to farther back, and next to pedestal with the statue of a golden, Chinese dragon on it. It appeared almost the exact same as the large one in the center. "In order to become a true Ninja, first you must be able to see what others do not."

"But there's nothing here." Kai protested. Sensei stared for a while before tapping the dragon statue. It tipped back, revealing a red button. Wu pressed it lightly, and the dragon statue in the center began to rise up, as did the four circular platforms.

"Whoa." Kai said in awe, stepping forward. "Is this gonna teach me how to do that cool move?" He hopped onto a wooden beam and did that pose that was commonly seen in movies where both hands are raised in the air and the figure is standing on one foot. Kai stared at Sensei Wu in curiosity. Kai frowned as he hadn't anticipated the beam making a creaking sound and sinking into the ground.

"Oh, dear." Sensei Wu said. The beam launched Kai through the air and he screamed as he hit the main part of the training course. He fell to the ground with grunt, landing flat on his stomach. "Finish the course before I finish my tea, then we will see if you are ready." Kai watched in annoyance as Sensei poured himself a cup of tea from a pot that had just randomly been sitting near the main entrance to the inside of the Monastery, put two sugar cubes in it, then downed it as if it were nothing. Sensei Wu jackknifed to his feet and black flipped to inside the monastery. "Today you failed, tomorrow you will try again."

"Failed?" Kai protested, getting up on his feet. "But I didn't even start to-"

"Patience." Sensei said, and the door closed, blocking each other from view.

* * *

The next few weeks were filled with pain and hurt for Kai. He had tried multiple times to beat the course, and he was failing miserably. Worst part was he knew he was failing, and Sensei Wu wasn't making it any easier on him.

"Fail."

"Fail."

"Oh, failed."

"So, failed."

Kai had been at it for three weeks, THREE WEEKS, and every night he went to bed with a new array of colorful bruises and scrapes thanks to the course's blunt and sharp objects. He couldn't help but feel like he was missing something. Like he was screwing something up, because he managed to get far enough that he was so close, but he would get knocked down at the same point everytime. He was always so distracted by Sensei's time limit, that he got hit by a piece of the middle course's either a sharp mace that Kai could've sword he got concussion from the fourteenth time he did the course or a blunt punching bag. _Wait... Time limit, distraction. Yes, that's it!_ Kai thought excitedly. _I know why I can't beat this course! It's because Sensei's time limit with his tea is a distraction. I am always so focused on beating it, that I hesitate. But, what if I were to give myself more time?_

Kai got a look of determination on his face, snatched up his wooden training sword, and bolted outside where Sensei was ready for him. Kai made his way to the front of the training course, and readied himself. The sound of his Sensei grabbing his tea cup was the pistol full of blanks for a track race to Kai. He took off and began making his way through the course with quick precision and speed. Sensei noticed this, and began to speed up.

Everything moved in slow motion, Kai eyed Sensei's teacup, and hurled his wooden sword. It knocked the cup out of Sensei's hand. Sensei reacted quickly, and began to make a new cup of tea. He poured the steaming liquid into his cup, and looked around the training course for his pupil. He has somehow disappeared in all the chaos. An amused chuckle came from next to him. Kai was on the steps, and he held Sensei's sugar cube saucer in his hand, his wooden sword in the other.

"Was that one sugar? Or two?" Sensei gave a half laugh, and got up, his staff in hand. He began to walk through the main entrance of the Monastery when Kai stopped him with a question. "So, when am I gonna learn this Spinjitzu I've been hearing so much about?"

"You already have, your final test comes tomorrow." Sensei said, closing the door. "My advice it to get some sleep."

"Huh?" Kai wondered. This left him in confusion. Sensei had never mentioned anything about a final test, otherwise Kai would've prepared for it. But, what was so important about this test that he needed to get sleep for?


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N:**

 **Hails: I love this story so far, and I need you to bear with me. Yes, I know that Morro is the Master of Wind, I know what I'm doing.  
**

* * *

The night was dark and cold. Stars littered the pitch black sky, and there was a full moon. Across the monastery, four black figures darted across the rooftops and ground. Not a single one of them making a sound. They opened a small window, and slid in one by one. They crept up onto the beams supporting the roof of the Monastery, and looked down at the room below them, finding that underneath was the sleeping figure of an elderly man. They shared a nod, and dashed over the beams, following the only light on in the entire building. Below them, was a teenager clad in red, silk pajamas. He had brown spiky hair and amber colored eyes. They nodded in agreement, and slid down to floor level, concealed from his vision.

* * *

Why Kai was still awake at four in the morning when normally Sensei Wu wakes him up two hours from now was a mystery. Kai decided to take some of Sensei's advice, and he attempted to go to sleep early around six in the evening, but only managed a thirty minute nap. He thought he'd find something else to do, which involved doing the training course over and over again until he had it down to where he wouldn't need to throw is sword to give him more time to defeat the course. He had done that for about three hours, and when it had reached ten o'clock at night to which he attempted to sleep again thirty minutes prior, he gave up and read a book til it was two in the morning, then he decided he'd doodle in a notepad, which was basically just a bunch of scribbles of himself being awesome. It was at that point he had given up on entertaining himself at three when he tried again for another nap. This time he was glad it at least lasted an hour.

The only thing though, was that ever since he passed the training course today, he hadn't been tired. In fact, he actually felt quite invigorated. Right now, he was brushing his teeth in the bathroom adjoined to his room, his Sensei's words still echoing in his head.

 _"My advice, is to get some sleep."_

Kai sighed, then spit the paste into the sink. He felt a sudden urge of confusion mixed with disgust enter his thoughts.

"Oh, yeah?" Kai said. "Take this!" He swung his electric toothbrush as if it were a sword. Unbeknownst that on the other side of the room, a black figure dropped down and was hiding behind his dresser. Kai moved away from the sink, and made a stabbing motion with his brush. When he moved though, another black figure lithely made it's way to the ground. "And this!" Kai pretended to slice with the brush, imagining it was a katana. On the other side of the room, two more black figures dropped down. Kai spun and swung his tooth brush once more. "And this!" Kai stopped suddenly, realizing his toothbrush was pointing at one of the black figures. It appeared to be a Ninja. "Whoops..." Kai trailed off.

He was surrounded by the four black, assassins. Each one holding a weapon. The two in front of him each had wickedly sharp blades. The one on the left had a scythe, while the one on the right had two daggers. Behind him, the other two held a pair of shurikens, and some nunchucks. _Okay, mentally coming up with names for all of you._ Kai thought. The one with the shurikens was going to make a move first, so Kai reacted quicker than his first opponent could. Kai shoved the buzzing toothbrush into his enemy's mouth, who spit it out causing it to hit the figure with the nunchucks, which in turn bounced off of him and somehow into scythe wielder's shirt, who shuddered at the sudden discomfort. The figure with the daggers began to laugh a little bit at the sight.

Kai took the chance and hopped up onto wooden beams, he darted across them only to be stopped by the two figures with the shurikens and daggers. _Okay, we'll call you Shuriken and you Dagger._ Kai thought, taking the mental note. Both of them attempted to strike by jump kicking Kai, but the latter dodged, causing both of them to fall to the ground. Kai laughed at his small victory, which was promptly cut off as Scythe kicked him, and he somehow went flying through the roof. When Kai landed, he rolled across the ground in backwards somersaults until his back hit the pedestal with the button that activated the training course. The four figures quickly made there way outside, in which Kai hopped up and smashed the red button, making the course hum to life. Nunchucks was bashed square in the chest with a training dummy, Shuriken took a solid hit in the face with a dull morning star, and Dagger was pounded in the gut with a moving plank. This caused all of them to drop there weapons. Scythe dodged a mace that swung over his head, but was momentarily distracted when Kai came around with the wooden punching bag, making him lose his weapon as well. Now the odds were a little more even.

Punches and kicks were thrown, there was loud shouting, even Nunchucks skidded halfway across the training grounds. Kai had lost count of how many times he had been kicked in the face and chest when he began wrestling with Scythe. When he was on top, he was dog piled by Nunchucks, followed shortly after by Shuriken and Dagger.

"Stop!" Everyone looked up, and seized there fighting to find Sensei Wu making his way out of the Monastery. Everyone climbed off of each other, and the four figures bowed respectfully.

"Yes, Sensei." They voiced simultaneously.

"Wait a minute! They're your students too?" Kai inquired. Wu responded with a simple nod. "This was my final test, wasn't it?"

"Whoa, whoa whoa whoa whoa." Nunchucks protested. "You never said anything about a fifth! It's always four! Four calling birds, four cardinal directions-" He was briskly cut off when Scythe interrupted.

"Ah, what he means, Sensei Wu, is that the four of us have trained together." Scythe said, making a closed fist come into contact with a straight palm as a salute. "We're solid." Kai took the opportunity to scoff and cross his arms.

"Didn't looks so solid to me." He said lightheartedly. Shuriken stepped forward to continue speaking before another fight could break out.

"Master, what is the meaning of this?" He queried.

"Each of you have been chosen." Wu explained, calmly walking down the steps. "Each in tune with elemental properties. But first! Ninja, Go!" Wu spun out into his golden Spinjitzu tornado. He moved precisely and passed over the five students quickly. They spun a little, feeling slightly dizzy. But they realized something. Their clothes had been changed into a different array of Ninja GI with a deep colored rope wrapped around the shoulder and waist. Attached to the chest area of the rope were tan badges, each of them a dragon that represented their element, and now, they were in repossession of their weapons.

"Whoa." Kai spoke in awe, and admiring his new red suit. "How did he do that?"

"Look what color I am." Nunchucks said, apparently glad to be wearing blue. His favorite color.

"Wait a minute," Scythe said. "I'm still black." Sensei Wu had the audacity to ignore Scythe, and he placed the tip of his staff on the Red Ninja's shoulder.

"Kai, Master of Fire." He dubbed. "It burns bright in you." Sensei promptly moved to the Blue Ninja. "Jay, is blue." He copied the action of placing the tip of his staff on Jay's shoulder, Kai internally glad he was now learning their names for later. "Master of Lightning."

"Heh, that's not all I'm the master of." Jay bragged. "I do a little inventing, dabble in model building, touch of cooking, a little poetry."

"Ugh." Scythe groaned. "More like Mouth of Lightning."

"Got that right." Dagger said, who had a slimmer figure, and was dressed in light grey. And for a mere moment, Kai could've sworn it was the voice of a girl.

"Black Ninja is Cole. Solid as rock." Sensei continued, ignoring the slight bickering. "Master of Earth." Cole pulled out his scythe, and swung in expertly, then pounded it into the ground. Kai scoffed. Cole placed the blade of his scythe up to Kai's neck, and spoke.

"Nice to meet you, kid. I've got your back." Cole said, and by the tone of voice and no nonsense aura floating around him, he was the leader. He removed his hood, revealing shaggy, unkempt, ebony hair, tanned olive skin, and eyes like a black abyss. "And for the record, there ain't nothing in the this world I'm afraid of."

"Except for dragons." Shuriken spoke up, pointing out one of Cole's fears.

"Dragons aren't from this world, Zane. I said IN this world." Cole defended.

"Silver, as agile as a hummingbird." Sensei Wu said, once again placing the tip of his staff on the shoulder. "Master of Wind." The Grey Ninja removed its hood, causing Kai to gasp.

"Ah!" Kai said. "Your a girl!" Underneath the hood was a teenage girl, with light blonde hair in a braid, tied up to avoid it hanging out behind her mask. She had a shade of crystal, technology blue eyes, and her skin was fair and smooth.

"Yeah, got a problem with that!" Silver threatened, and for twice in the same night all in the span of three minutes, Kai had a sharp blade at his neck. Instead of Cole's scythe though, it was Silver's two wickedly sharp daggers.

"N-no. Not at all." Kai stuttered.

"That's what I thought." And with that, Silver restrained herself from hurting the Red Ninja.

"White Ninja, is Zane." Sensei dubbed the one clad in white who had smart mouthed Cole about his fears. He bowed respectively and placed a closed fist against a straight palm. "Master of Ice, and Seer with Sixth Sense." Sensei quickly moved out of the way as Zane twirled his wickedly sharp shurikens, and then made them disappear in a flash. Kai leaned over and deadpanned to Cole.

"I SENSE this one takes things a little too seriously." To prove his point, Zane removed his hood, now revealing pale skin, ice cold eyes, and spiked, blond hair a couple shades lighter than Silver's stuck straight up.

"You too have the gift?" Zane asked curiously. Jay stepped over to Zane, and removed his own hood. Underneath was fair skin, shocking blue eyes, and neat, auburn hair. He chuckled in an amused tone.

"He's just making a joke, Zane." He explained. "Remember what we talked about? Your sense of humor, ah?"

"Yes. It was a joke. Ha, ha." Zane said monotonically, causing Jay to place a hand to his face.

"Pay attention!" Sensei Wu commanded, and everyone's eyes were on him. "You five are the chosen, who will protect the four weapons of Spinjitzu, from Lord Garmadon."

"But what about my sister?" Kai said, not happy that all this talk was going towards anyone but Nya. Next to Kai, you could hear Silver groan and mutter something about "A damsel in distress being too overrated". Next to the Grey Ninja, Jay gasped.

"We're saving a girl?" He asked excitedly. "Is she hot?"

"Jay." Cole stressed his comrade's name to show he wasn't pleased.

"Ah, I just wanna know what we're getting ourselves into!" Jay countered. "Does she like blue?"

"Back off." Kai said, making it clear he would slit Jay's throat with his sword if he continued to ask questions. The Blue Ninja understood, still with a stupid smile on his face, but he got the message and quit.

"When we find the weapons, we will find your sister." Wu explained. "It is time, we must go to the first weapon."

"Whoa, hold on a minute." Cole complained. "You said you were gonna teach us Spinjitzu."

"Spinjitzu is inside each and every one of you. But it will only be unlocked when the key is ready to be found." Wu said enigmatically. "Come! My feet are tired. We will take the horse carriage." He chose to interrupt the moment and he walked to back to the monastery.

"Great." Jay said sarcastically. "Now we have to find a key."

"He was being cryptic, Jay." Silver said, deciding to let her hair down. The braid it was in flowed smoothly down to her waist like a waterfall.

"Yeah, I'm feeling like he's taking us for a ride." Cole continued off. Kai pulled down his hood, and began to follow Sensei Wu.

"Well, if it means finding my sister. Then sign me up."


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N:**

 **Hails: Oh, whoa, whoa it's MAGIC! Ya knoooooow! Never believe it's not sooooo. It's magic, ya knoooooooooooow, never believe it's not soooooooooooooo, that I don't update my stories. Kudos to you if you can tell me what song I was just singing.  
**

* * *

"Sign me up!" Jay mimicked Kai's words from earlier this morning, obviously being more irked that he had to pull Sensei Wu's cart with three other boys.

"Way to go, spark plug." Cole said, also vexed that he had to pull the carriage as well.

"I sense this is some form of team building." Zane said, as he seemed to be the only one trying to stay positive.

"Oh, really?" Jay said. "Then why isn't Silver helping us?"

"Because, Jay." Cole explained, piqued because Jay just sometimes wouldn't shut up when he really needed to. "There were only four spots to pull the cart, and Sensei assigned her to scouting." High above them, maybe about twenty or thirty feet, the occasional flash of light grey would be seen darting from tree to tree. Because of Silver's incredible agility and balance that made up for her lack of strength, Sensei had her take to the trees to warn of any oncoming danger.

"Just keep pulling." Cole growled. "It's a long way to go." Kai decided to change the subject through all the heavy breathing and sweating.

"So, where did Sensei find you four?" Kai asked, interest piqued.

"Let's just say if it weren't for Sensei, I don't think the five of us would ever be seen together. I was testing my limit." Cole flashed back to when Sensei found him. He was climbing a tall mountain, with only a rope for gear, and he was barefoot and shirtless. The temperature was freezing cold as there was snow on most of the ledges. He almost leaped like mountain goat on steep terrain, better than all the others. At the top, Sensei Wu offered him a cup of tea, then drank his own. Cole took it halfheartedly, confused at how a man such as he could get at such high altitudes.

"I was testing my invention." Jay said, as he began reminiscing about when he met Sensei. He had a pair of mechanical wings he was eager to test, and cheered loudly, but was stopped suddenly when he crashed into a billboard. He broke his wings and put a winged Jay shaped hole in the advertisement. He stared, bemused, as Sensei Wu was sitting down beside him, casually drinking tea.

"And I, was testing myself." Zane said, eager about the nostalgia. He was sitting at the bottom of a frozen lake, finding it good to meditate down there. But he coughed suddenly when the sight of Sensei Wu drinking tea underwater made him swallow water and cough. Yes, Wu was drinking tea underwater, your argument is invalid.

"What about Silver?" Kai asked.

"Ah..." Cole hesitated. "We don't know much about her. All we know was that when we found her, she was dazed and weak, wandering around an eastern coast town, erm... Seachon City, I think. A group of thugs had cornered her, and she did her best to fight with what little strength she had. She was near instantly pinned though, she probably would've been tortured as well if we hadn't stepped in. When Sensei brought her back to the Monastery, he took her to a room and had what we assumed was a private talk. When she came out, though she would never admit it, she was crying. We found out that she was a student before we came along, and she had been training under him since she was nine, and she mysteriously disappeared when she was fourteen." Cole explained. "Sensei had searched for her for a while, and it was only until recently they've been reunited. She remembered her training fairly well, and is actually really skilled. So it's good to have a girl like her on our team."

"You're right." Kai said. "If it weren't for Sensei, none of us-" Kai was cut off when Sensei Wu shushed the quartet. Ahead of him, he could just make Silver hanging from a tree branch, and motioning to him urgently about something.

"Stop." He hissed.

* * *

"The Caves of Despair." Sensei Wu said. He stayed out of sight, as the five Ninja came up behind him, and they observed the Skulkin Camp, probably having been there for the past three weeks, trying to find the weapon. "Samukai must be close to unearthing the Scythe of Quakes. Remember, do not use the weapon, for its power-" Having heard this briefing a million times before, Jay spoke up.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He interrupted rudely. "It's power is too much for us mortals. Alright guys, let's chop saki this lemonade stand. Cole, you got a plan?"

"Sure do." Cole said, prepared to give his team the instructions. "First, we lower ourselves down the ledge, and then-" Cole stopped mid sentence and wanted to groan at the absence of a certain Red Ninja. "Where's Kai?" The team looked around the scene below for bit, but quickly found the Red Ninja sneaking through the camp, surprised that he had not been found. Skeletons have really bad peripheral vision apparently.

"This is gonna suck, isn't it?" Silver asked sarcastically.

"Let's go!" Cole instructed. The Ninja nearly dove over the ledge, doing their best to keep up with Kai's speed. They hid behind part of a tent, waiting for a guard to turn. When he did, the four bolted to an empty crate and through it on top of themselves. The noise attracted very few skeletons, and they hardly glanced in the down turned crate's state, before going back to a conversation. They went along, passing by a conveyor belt, but because of their limited vision, they bumped into a rather large boulder. The Skulkin Miners turned to what had just barely caught their line of sight, and fortunately were interrupted from the distraction when a large rock landed on the conveyor manager's foot. He whimpered, realizing he was being stupid, then continued his line of work. When they were sure they weren't being watched, the four Ninja re angled the box and went through a thick crevice the two boulders were making.

Through there, they sneaked up behind a skeleton guard who had spotted Kai being careless. Before he could warn the camp that he was here, the four ninja through the crate on top of him in a panic, and beat the living daylights out of him. When they were done, the guard was left in pieces and bone in his mouth before the four Ninja continued to pursue Kai. Speaking of the Red Ninja, he had come up behind a pile of rocks and boulders, and on the tallest tower overlooking the camp, Samukai stood, reading something off of some parchment.

"The map!" Kai whispered.

Back near the conveyor belts, Kruncha and Nuckal found something to occupy themselves.

"Oh, oh! I found something!" Nuckal screamed excitedly as he held up what looked like a large ring. Unbeknownst that below them, four Ninja were holding tightly to the belt and gliding along smoothly.

"That's another rock you, bonehead!" Kruncha scolded.

"But it's shaped like a doughnut!" Nuckal exclaimed happily, before he hummed thoughtfully. "I wonder if taste like it." He bit into it, and whimpered at the pain when his tooth fell out and onto the conveyor belt. Kruncha sighed dejectedly. This is who he hung out with, everyday.

Kai dashed out from behind the pile of rocks, and took off for the watch tower, not hesitating any longer when a pair of skeletons came pushing a large crate of rocks down a track behind him. Hanging onto another upper part of the track, the four Ninja used it like monkey bars, flipped down, and sped off the pile of rocks Kai was hiding behind moments before. The front hand sprung to the bony ladder leading to the top of the watch tower. They come up behind Kai, and Jay punched him in the shoulder.

"What's the matter with you?" Jay hissed. Kai shushed him in response, and everyone peered through a hole on the roof of the tower. Below, Samukai chuckled evilly, and laid the map on small table. "It's upside down, they're digging in the wrong spot."

"How does that work?" Silver whispered.

"No idea." Jay answered with a shrug.

"The Golden Weapon is near." Zane said, he held out a hooked shuriken with a piece of string tied to it, and nodded. He hurled the silver shuriken into the table behind Samukai's back. It had exact accuracy, and he whipped the shuriken back, the map coming with it. The Ninja laid it out before themselves, and Zane pointed to the point the Golden Weapon was really at.

"There's no time to waste." Kai said, before speedily taking off for the opposite side of the caves.

"What is it with that guy?" Jay wanted to snarl. "Always in a rush."

"Oh, I don't know, Jay." Silver said sardonically. "His sister has been kidnapped. What do you think?" Jay growled at Silver's comment, before the four Ninja climbed down the ladder rapidly to chase down Kai... again.

Kai quickly made it to the other side of the Caves of Despair, and yanked the head of what was supposedly a stone lantern, and placed is over his own head on his shoulders, then he sneaked into the mine being guarded by two skeletons, who weren't really paying attention.

* * *

Kai struggled to push a large boulder out of that he was sure the Golden Weapon was behind. He had to find his sister, and the only way to do that was to retrieve the four Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu, so he could finally get that priority out of the way, and the job would go a lot faster if he could just push it out his way.

"Hey, before you run off again, you need remember, we're a team." Cole's voice made Kai look over, even though he didn't stop pushing. Kai felt slightly guilty leaving them in the dust. After all, he had heard stories of his father being powerful, strong, but above all, loyal. He had wanted to be just like him. Kai grumbled disapprovingly, almost imagining what his father would be saying right now.

"Yeah, whatever." Kai said. The four other Ninja walked over, and helped Kai move the boulder, and lo and behold, it was the doorway to a large cavern. It was circular, and the rock walls were smooth, it must've been carved there years ago as a resting place. In the center of the cavern, there was what appeared to be the stone statue head of earth dragon, and in it's mouth, and secured safely in it's mouth, was a dimly glowing scythe. It was made of pure gold, and the head of the weapon resembled that of deadly reptile, it's eyes made of black diamond.

"Whoa!" Jay exclaimed in awe. "That is so COOL!" Unfortunately, he hadn't known his shouting was cause to alert the Skulkin camp. Jay was not that good at keeping his mouth shut. Cole hopped up onto the snout of the dragon, and yank the scythe out as if it were the Sword in the Stone. He shushed Jay with a frown being concealed underneath his mask.

"Not so loud." Cole whispered. He hopped down, and with gentle hands, he wrapped the scythe in a special covering that would protect not just the weapon, but themselves.

"Come on, don't be paranoid." Jay waved the warning away like it was nothing. "We're totally on the opposite side of the caves."

"Is it, okay?" Cole demanded, making the spark plug shut his mouth. The quintet began to leave the cave, and Cole tossed the weapon behind him, which Kai catched effortlessly. "Now that we've got the scythe, let's sneak out while those boneheads are still busy." What they hadn't known, was that behind them, the stone dragon head began to slowly move it's jaw. "Alright, everyone stick together, the way out is just around the corner." But Cole regretted it the second he uttered that.

Because he just walked straight into Samukai.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N:**

 **Hails: Bleep bleep bleep bleep! Pull over right now people, because we've got another chapter! I'm doing my best on chapter 7.  
**

* * *

Cole whimpered as his eyes made contact with Samukai's blood red irises. He knew Jay was always too loud for his own good. Samukai chuckled, amused at what he had found. Five Ninja sneaking around the Caves of Despair with his map, and the Scythe of Quakes. How better to deal with it than he and his army of skeletons?

Without hesitation the Ninja readied themselves for battle and whipped out their weapons. It was Ninja versus Skulkin and the former was winning as they with ease took out nearly every skeleton, and they fell to the ground unconscious, and hopefully not dead, even despite the fact they already were. Kai was kind of disappointed with this kind of battle seeing how he believed it would be easy, but regretted that thought the instant it was in his head. Three too many Skulkin warriors cornered him, and they very might just take the Golden Weapon from him.

"Kai, throw it here!" Said Red Ninja wrenched the Golden Scythe off of his back, hurled it across the mine to Zane, who caught it with ease. Unfortunately, Zane had to toss it far when the skeletons began to gang up on him, and Cole gladly took it off his hands.

"Going long!" Cole exclaimed as he grabbed the scythe mid air.

Kai batted away a warrior with a sword, and struggled to hold up his end of the line.

"There are too many of them." Kai observed, not all eager to be fighting anymore.

"Let me take care of that!" Kay offered. He smacked quite the few skeletons with his nunchucks, and he reared back for another attack when he noticed something oddly familiar about the soldier's specific attack formation. He could see it in front of him now, it was so easy. "Hey, guys! It's just like the training course!" Jay hopped up onto the heads of a few Skulin and took them out effortlessly, then he flipped over another group of them. "Over the planks, dodge the swords, here comes the dummy! Cha-Ching!" He spun, swung his nunchucks hard. What he hadn't anticipated was how fast he was spinning, and sparks of lightning began to form around him. Everything was sort of, a blur of deep blue for Jay, and everything seemed to move in slow motion.

"Spinjitzu..." Kai whispered. "Jay! What's the key!"

"I'm just going through the motions!" Jay said, and he swung his nunchucks into the nearest warrior attacking him. "This must be what Sensei meant when he said we already know it!" It hit Kai like a bucket of water was being splashed in his face. He reacted just as quickly, and copied Jay's actions and words.

"Over the planks, dodge the swords, here comes the dummy!" Kai felt a warm sensation around him, and all he could see was fire. Red, swirling, roaring flames surrounding him. But he didn't feel threatened, instead, this fire, it felt, welcoming. Was this his Spinjitzu. He almost felt like he was floating, and his fighting instincts kicked in. He sliced his sword every which way, taking more skeletons than he ever could without this new move.

Kruncha burst out laughing, and pointed to Nuckal.

"He just called you a dummy!" He mocked.

"No!" Nuckal protested. "He called you a dummy." Their little "sibling rivalry", was ended the moment it started when an ice cold sensation chilled them to the bones. Literally, I know. That was a bad pun. The White Ninja appeared and spoke in a soft and silky tone of voice that was deadly and alluring like a snake's.

"I sense you do not stand a chance." Zane said, twirling his fierce shurikens. Samukai realized this without hesitation, and retreated his army with a loud bellow to run away. The five Ninja scared them off with their Spinjitzu, but the tornadoes dispersed when the whole cavern was empty and hollow of any life except for themselves. The remains of their Spinjitzu tornadoes still flickering and swirling around. Cole gave a single laugh.

"Guess they didn't want a second serving of these babies!" Cole boasted, flexing his muscles. If he was trying to gain attention from any girl, it certainly wasn't Silver, because like everyone else, she rolled her eyes. and shook her head. "Good thing they didn't check out the merchandise in the back!" Cole turned around, but froze in fear. Kai laughed excitedly, holding the scythe up as if it were a trophy. Jay followed suite. "Uh, guys?" Cole whimpered. It was deathly silent, and no one spoke, having heard the fear in Cole's voice.

"Didn't Sensei way there was a guardian protecting the weapon?" Zane asked.

"Yeeeees, he did." Silver said, staring at Zane in disbelief. Her eyes widened as she realized why Cole sounded so afraid. The other four turned and stared, and looming over them was the reptile they thought they had seen when they taken the Scythe of Quakes out of it's mouth. It was big, and took up a fair amount of space. It was multiple shades of brown and tan, and when it spread it's wings, one could make out the tears and holes. It's green eyes glowed like jades, and the dragon glowered at the thieves.

"That's not what I think it is, is it?" Cole asked, eying the reptile like scales. It slowly reared back on it's hind legs, revealing wickedly sharp claws that could slice through metal.

"Y-you mean a dragon?" Jay stared, not being able to make anything else come out of his throat.

"That sure looks likes a dragon." Kai voiced.

"I sense we won't be able to spin our way out of this one." Zane said. The dragon roared louder than any beast the Ninja could've ever imagine, blowing shards of dust and minerals from it's mouth, and leaving cuts and scrapes on what little exposed skin the Ninja had and tearing small amounts of their clothes. Just as the Ninja were recovering, it roared again. They just barely managed to move out of it's range, but now, the large reptile was blocking the only exit.

"I thought dragons weren't from this world!" Cole exclaimed as the dragon leapt forward, making the ground rumble like an earthquake. Kai pursed his lips, even though no one could see them under the mask, and uncovered the Golden Scythe from the makeshift sheath. Jay saw what he was up to, and placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"No, no! Kai, bad idea." Jay said, detested at the thought of what Kai would do. "Sensei told us not to."

"Well, you better keep your mouth shut!" Kai snarled.

"Kai, I wouldn't do that." Silver warned. "Sensei does not take the matter of these weapons lightly, I know because of all the stories he would tell me when I was a kid." But it was too late for Kai to go back, and against all the objections, he slammed the scythe's blade into the ground, imbedding it there and causing the cavern to shake. A crack formed in the ground, splitting it apart, and debris and rocks fell from the ceiling, revealing the light of day for escape. The dragon's head was nearly crushed by a falling boulder, and the Ninja took the opportunity of the dragon being distracted to wind their way around it. They skidded to a stop on the opposing side of the light, their only hope of leaving.

"We gotta escape!" Kai exclaimed, still gripping the scythe as if it were his life.

"We'll use Spinjitzu." Cole instructed. "Ninja, Go!"

Everyone spun out into their respective tornadoes, and sped around the Earth Dragon. They did their best to jump, and just managed to escape as the dragon lunged at them angrily. They shouted excitedly upon escape, even as their feet touched solid ground again. When they came out of it, Jay and Zane lost their balance, while Cole and Kai highfived each other.

"Whoa! That was so awesome!" Cole exclaimed. Kai laughed in a mix of an adrenaline rush and relief.

"Yes!" He shouted, giving Cole a high five. "We are unbelievable."

"That was actually pretty incredible!" Silver shouted.

"We are the best!" Zane said.

"Did you see that!" Jay asked excitedly "I was like _pow!_ And you were like _bam!"_

"ENOUGH!" The sound of Sensei Wu's angry voice ended the Ninja's victory. "I told you not to use the scythe!"

Everyone stepped out of the way and pointed at Kai.

"He did it." Jay blamed simply, knowing it was the truth.

"What?" Kai asked, feeling betrayed. He would have to defend himself on his own now.

"I warned him, Sensei." Cole said, making Silver scoff.

"Using it was my only option." Kai said defensively. He walked forward, trying his best to use words to get out of trouble. Sensei Wu marched up to Kai, blood boiling that he had disobeyed.

"And what makes you think you are more important than the team! Huh? Huh!" Sensei shouted. Kai felt anger surge through his veins. These weapons were so important that no one took the time to think about the pain or suffering Nya might be going through, and she was human being. Not even the First Spinjitzu Master could possibly know where the hell she was, and not to mention what she might going through. Kai had used quick and easy options to get done faster.

"They took my sister, remember?" Kai snarled. Sensei jerked back, and changed the subject much to Red Ninja's chagrin.

"There are still three weapons left, maybe next time you can do it right." Three Ninja shunned him, and followed Sensei back to the carriage. Leaving Kai with only his thoughts, and a forgiving Grey Ninja to walk beside him.

"It's okay, Kai." Silver comforted, then stopped him and wrapped him in a hug. "We all make mistakes that we learn from. Like I said before, Sensei Wu does not take the matter of these weapons too lightly."

"Thanks, Silver." Kai said, his head still downcast as he removed his hood. "But why are you forgiving me so easily?"

"Because." Silver explained. "I used to have a best friend in the whole world, and he made a mistake. The last thing I said to him before he died was that I disowned him. He was no longer my friend. I haven't been able to live with myself ever since, and I make it my goal to never leave a friend in a negative sense." Silver seemed to shudder, as if an unseen cold overtook her. She must've been reliving the day she hurt her friend.

"Well, I guess that makes you a good friend." Kai said, with apologetic eyes. "Thank you."

* * *

It was dark an unforgiving, you could hardly seen anything at all. Spykors aren't friendly, and when they creep upon the ground and walls, they terrify those weak of heart. The only other color besides black, was the red of lava that moved like sludge below them. To normal person, it could kill with ease by just one look. But, it's blackness was comforting to the ruler, and shadows advanced upon an unlucky victim.

"Master, I have failed you." Samukai said in a gravely voice, awaiting a punishment so dire that he would never want to fail again. "They have learned Spinjitzu, and they have the scythe."

"Good." The shadow spoke, with deep, alluring voice. "Then my brother was there."

"If I gather my army, we could easily ambush them and-" Samukai was cut off as the shadow spoke, it's red eyes daring the Skeleton King to talk any further.

"No. Let them think they're winning." The shadow instructed, having a "trust me" kind of aura surrounding him, when really, he was something no one could ever trust.

"Uh, I do not understand." Samukai spluttered out.

"Everything is going to plan." The shadow laughed, knowing he was going to win.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

 **A/N:  
**

 **Hails: Okay, no. That's not the end. I just had to put it there. *shrugs* Whatever!**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N:**

 **Silver: Can we get an order of Chapter 7 down here?**

 **Hails: Absolutely! *slides Chapter 7 into your faces* Enjoy.**

* * *

"I spy something... white." Jay said, taking in the surroundings for a game of "I Spy" even though there really wasn't much to look at. It was all ice and snow for as long as the ocean stretched.

"Could you try to be quiet for once, this ain't easy." Cole scoffed, motioning to the fact that he was steering the ship. A particularly large chunk of ice hit the side of the boat, making it tip and shake. Cole turned back to the wheel, while Jay groaned in disgust.

"I spy something broken." He smart mouthed.

"Jay, try not to be a little creative, will you?" Silver said, marching up some back steps to the Blue and Black Ninja. She was the only one with her hood down, making her blonde hair which was tied in a braid rest simply against her back and to her waist. "It's not just white, there are shades of blue as well because the ice reflects the water. Jay tried to block Silver out for her ridiculously creative personality. It was always trying to find more colors in the situation than normal people at hand could tell.

* * *

Kai's body violently shook and he took shuttery breaths in and out, finding that he could actually see his breath like it were smoke. He held his hands together and blew into them, trying to heat them up because his leather gloves weren't doing anything to help keep them warm.

"If Sensei knows the way to the Golden Weapon, why isn't he steering the ship?" Kai complained. He motioned up to the bow of the ship where Sensei balanced and took a position that seemed similar to Warrior III. "We've been drifting aimlessly for miles."

"Sensei's wisdom is beyond my own." Zane said. It was silent for a short amount of time before Sensei spoke, his wise voice going cryptic. He turned, and made eye contact with his students.

"The most powerful move in Spinjitzu can only be accomplished when all four elements are combined." He hopped down from the bow, and revealed the moves made while in Spinjitzu, that would allow this all powerful move. "Earth, Ice, Fire, Lightning." Jay curiously made his way down from the back, followed shortly by Silver.

"What happens when all of them are combined?" Jay asked.

"The Tornado of Creation." Sensei Wu answered. "The power to create something, out of nothing." With those words, Sensei Wu made a cup full of steaming tea appear in his hands.

"What's about Silver though? There are five elements, not four." Jay queried curiously.

"Ah, yes. Silver, as the Master of Wind, is different. Her power is not a Primary Element, but a Support Element." Sensei Wu explained.

"Support Element?" Zane asked. "There are more than just us?"

"Only one more who I have yet to find, as the Master of Water, but he or she is not needed for this mission. I only asked Silver to help because she was a student before any of you came along." Sensei replied. "Water and Wind are different than your elements, as they are the only two Support Elements. Or elements that can destroy, but are better off used to heal. As water is the drink of the Gods, the elixir of life. Wind is the God's air. What they breath that keeps them alive."

"Okay, and this is valid how?" Silver asked.

"It is valid because if any other Spinjitzu Master's cyclone were added to the Tornado of Creation, it would destruct rather than construct. If you were to add Silver or the Master of Water to it, the Tornado of Creation would only become stronger, better, and create things that couldn't be created if it were just you four." Sensei explained. Kai moved quickly, and tried to copy what Sensei had done with the positions of the Primary Elements. Sensei noticed this, and forbade Kai to continue. "No, Kai. If done incorrectly, it will lead to disastrous consequences."

"Disastrous consequences." Kai scoffed. "Right." The boat jerked suddenly, knocking everyone off of their feet. The sails froze, and everyone stared, wondering what had happened.

"Wasn't me." Cole said quickly, his hands coming off the wheel.

"Did I do that?" Kai asked, staring at his own hands, curious if he really held that kind of power.

"No." Sensei answered. "We are here."

* * *

The Ninja wandered around the Ice Temple, staring in awe at the expertly made craftsmanship. The walls seemed jagged, but for a reason. This stuff was partially man made by the First Spinjitzu Master and naturally made by nature's awesome and deadly power.

"Whoa..." Cole breathed. He took in the magnificent surroundings, and noticed multiple skeletons frozen in ice. "Looks like someone has already been here." He observed.

"Yeah, if I had to take my best guess, either they memorized the map to all the weapons, or we're being tailed by Samukai's Army." Silver said. The deeper the Ninja traveled into the temple, the colder they felt, and no matter how hard they tried, they struggled to ignore it. They turned around a corner, and the only light down it was at the end of the long, icy corridor. It was dim, and glowed blue. They followed it, doing their best not to bump into each other, and upon emerging at the other end, the room was taller than the rest of the temple, and seemed almost formed like cone. At the very top, being levitated in place by the head of of blue and white dragon with reflective scales, and golden eyes, were a pair of shurikens with dragon like designs, and light blue gems imbedded into it.

"The shurikens." Zane breathed. He narrowed his eyes, refusing to go undefeated by such a little threat aside from the Dragon. The Shurikens of Ice had to be at least twenty feet high. With a nod, everyone hoisted each other up in a tower to reach the top. Cole and Kai on the bottom supporting the lightest weight, Jay and Silver, who had Zane on their shoulders. Zane wrapped his hands around the Shurikens, but stopped moving, stopped breathing the second he did. He felt his body freeze, and he was imbedded in a chunk of ice. The Ninja hopped down from their little cheer leading stance, having to carry Zane.

A loud noise let them know the Ice Dragon had awoken, and they took off through the ice cavern. They veered around the corner again, causing the Ice Dragon to get stuck in the crevice of ice they had come through. Without warning, they ended up using Zane as a sled and were outside in moments. What they hadn't predicted was ramming into one of gates they had come through. The ice around Zane shattered, and the five Ninja groaned painfully, having hit their heads either on the gate, or the back of someone else's head.

Sensei Wu pulled out the map from behind his back as he was waiting at the first gate for the five Ninja to come out with the weapon. When everyone got over their pain, they hobbled over to Sensei and Jay took the map, then pointed to the next weapon. The Nunchucks of Lightning.

* * *

The Floating Ruins were surrounded with crackling lightning and thunder. It was as if there was permanent lightning storm surrounding the place. To say it was beautiful really, was an understatement. The heights were truly terrifying, and they would have to climb all the way to the top. It wouldn't be easy, seeing how they all had a fairly heavy backpack latched onto them for a specific purpose. They had hardly made it thirty feet up on the more stable areas of the ruins, when Zane's sixth sense kicked in, and he looked over the edge.

"We are being followed." Zane was truly right. When he peered back behind the group, Samukai's army of skeletons were climbing nearly as fast as the Ninja were.

"Let's go!" Jay exclaimed, leading the group up higher. It became harder as they climbed faster, and about halfway up, Kai slipped and nearly lost his balance, glad to have Zane grab his hand before she could fall. And to put that in perspective, that's nearly seventy feet up, and that would be a devastating drop. The only one who managed to keep climbing, feeling adrenaline pumping through his veins, like was on top of the water and nothing could stop him, was Jay. He was almost literally like a spider monkey, and was the first one to reach the top, fortunately for him it was much more stable up there. He cheered excitedly when he saw the golden weapon. He hoisted himself up, and snatched the weapon, admiring the amethysts glowing beautifully.

There was a flash of lightning, and Jay looked up to find of course the guardian of nunchucks. A tall, threatening dragon with gorgeous and luminescent blue scales towered over Jay, and faster than anyone else could comprehend, Jay dived off the Floating Ruins with a "Whoo hoo!" and he was followed shortly after by the other four. Skeletons blurred by and so did the ruins, but for the few seconds of sky diving they had, it stopped and their speed diving towards the ground slowed. From the backpacks were some of Jay's mechanical wings.

He had engineered them after becoming a Ninja while had free time, and with a little help from Sensei Wu's wisdom, he managed to get them to work. Plus, he found a way to make them without metal or any other substance that attracted lightning or electricity. Perfect for a quick escape in the Floating Ruins.

The Ninja sailed over the skeletons and angled themselves towards the forest near the next Golden Weapon. The Sword of Fire.

* * *

The Ninja all danced around a campfire as Cole played a drum to quite the bouncing beat that just made them want to get up and move. Everyone laughed joyfully as they danced. Well, everyone except Zane who observed curiously and bobbed his head slowly and Sensei Wu who was staring into the flames, lost in thought.

"Come on, Sensei!" Kai urged. "Join us."

"There is still one weapon left." Sensei stated, knowing he should not rest. "We must get our sleep."

"Ah, Sensei." Jay whined. "You gotta admit, we're kicking their bony butts!"

"Yeah, we're winning!" Silver exclaimed, glad she could let her braided hair down instead of having to pin it up whenever her hood was on. "Surely we can relax, even if just for a little bit."

"Get up here!" Kai encouraged. "Show us some moves!"

Sensei hummed thoughtfully, thinking it over.

"I guess I could." He caved. He stood up, and prepared a position. "Now this move, is very special."

"But if done incorrectly, will it lead to disastrous consequences?" Zane asked. Everyone burst out laughing, leaving the White Ninja in a state of confusion.

"Zane!" Kai exclaimed. "Is that a joke? A sense of humor? You found it!"

Cole played a beat, and everyone watched as Sensei began to dance. He placed one hand on his hat, and another on his hip.

"Shake what your mama gave you." At that line, everyone was holding back a laugh. Sensei placed both hands on his hat, and swung his hips. "Yeah, look at this one now." Sensei grabbed his beard. "Spin round! I put my feet!" Everyone burst out in a fit laughter as Sensei Wu's ridiculous pose. The rest of the dark night was illuminated by bright smiles and a brilliant campfire. It was the first time the team had felt a joy of pure bliss and happiness, knowing they would win.

* * *

As the fire died out, so had everyone else's energy. Well, all except for Silver and Kai. The Grey Ninja was leaned up against a tree, her hands behind her head while she stared up the starry sky. Kai prepared his katana, and he noticed her, still wide awake.

"Hey, shouldn't you be sleeping?" Kai asked. "I'm taking first watch."

"I'm not like certain people." Silver began. "After using up all my energy in a day, my body can't just collapse on a bed and fall asleep, no. It takes time for my brain to wind down, and then when I'm in a full state of relaxation, I'll sleep."

"Ah, makes sense." Kai said in understanding. "I'm like that too." Kai cleared his throat, then decided he would sit next to Silver for a bit. "Yesterday, you told me about your best friend, and how you made it your goal never to leave a brother or comrade in a negative state."

"Yes." Silver said. "Did you want to know more?"

"A little, yes." Kai answered. "I wanted to know about your friend. What was he like?"

"My best friend." Silver laughed a little. "I can still remember his face. I remember always wanting to be around him. Sometimes he'd read me bedtime stories or sing me a lullaby as a little child."

"What did he do that made you..." Kai trailed off, not sure if he wanted to finish that sentence.

"Disown him?" Silver finished. "Deny that he was my friend?" She frowned. Her technology blue eyes stared at him, wondering what was going on inside Kai's head. "He became unhealthily obsessed with something. His attitude changed dramatically, he wouldn't play with me anymore, he was so mean to all the other students. He was a couple years older than me, the oldest of the other students, so he made it his goal to defeat them in training. And he did, every single time." Silver explained, her eyes now crestfallen. "Then when the time came, he was really mad at Sensei Wu for doing something. My friend blamed it on him, and a week later, he walked out on everyone. I got really mad at him for putting everyone through that hell for the past three months, and I told him that if he were to leave, that-" Silver stopped mid sentence, and Kai could see tears welling up in her eyes.

"You would disown him." Kai finished.

"Yeah." Silver said bitterly.

"You said he died." Kai pointed out.

"I was thirteen when he left, and a year later I couldn't stand not being with him. By then I was fourteen." _The time Silver disappeared._ Kai thought. "Sensei and I went to go find him, and when we did, we found out he was dead."

"What happened after?" Kai asked.

"I don't know. Everything's just a big blur in between that time." Silver explained. "And I'd rather not talk about it anyway."

"Fair enough. Try to get some sleep." Kai suggested. He got up, and sat down against another tree. "Your going to need it."

"Right." Silver said. "And Kai. Thank you."

"For what?" Kai wondered.

"Asking." Silver replied. "Usually no one does, and I don't get the chance to get that stuff off of my chest."

"No problem."

* * *

"Kai." A voice whispered. It was soft and delicate and alluring. The Red Ninja stirred at the sound of his name. "Kai." The voice whispered again. This time a little louder. Kai sat up, and rubbed his eyes. _Aw, man._ He thought. _I just fell asleep. I was supposed to be on guard."_ When his eyes came into focus, he listened intently for the voice. "Kai." Again, the voice whispered it louder. Something was vaguely familiar about this voice thought.

"Was that-" Kai stopped mid sentence, and stared. A little concealed in the bushes, he make out the face, the build, the clothes. The unmistakable blue eyes, soft ebony hair, and fair skin. Nya.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Hails: Alright, before you panic. I have to say something.**

 **No. Don't even think that this is KaixOc, I ship him with Skylor. Chances are, this won't be a an OcxCanonCharacter story.  
**


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N:**

 **Hails: Here we go. Kai's headed to the Fire Temple to find Nya alone. I wonder how this will end. That was sarcastic by the way.**

* * *

"I have to go." Nya said urgently. Fear and a masked sadness colored her face, and she took off into dark forest.

"Nya, wait up!" Kai shouted, surprised he hadn't woken up his teammates or Sensei. He bolted into the woods after his sister, hoping to save her. He ducked under a tree branch and weaved his way expertly through the forest, similar to what is sister was doing. "Slow down! Why are running so fast?" In the few seconds Kai had lost his sister. He pulled aside a few bushes, and stared wide eyed. Before him was a tall, black volcano, and thin, red streaks ran down the sides. Grey smoke littered the sky, turning it from it's beautiful black, to an ugly, polluted color. Surrounding the volcano was river of burning, melted rock, and a long, stone bridge ran across it and into a dark cave going into the volcano. In front of it was a gate that had resembled the so many Kai had seen upon getting the shurikens from the Ice Temple. _This must be where the Sword of Fire is, but why is Nya going there?_ Kai wondered.

Kai could just barely make out his sister's figure going into the entrance of the volcano, and without another thought, he took off after her.

"Kai!" Nya's voice echoed across the grounds of the Fire Temple, causing Kai to stop before crossing the bridge.

"Nya?" Kai asked aloud. He shook off the feeling of uneasiness, and rushed across the bridge. When he reached the temple, he noticed something very off about it. The wooden doors, were already open. Kai walked in, and gazed around. It was a cavern similar to the ones he had already seen when retrieving two of the other weapons. Sharp rocks lined the area, and filling the entire room was broiling, golden, lava. Kai wanted to gag when the thick smell of smoke assaulted him, but he pushed on. Then he spotted her. His sister, and he was filled with relief. He dashed towards her, and called her name.

"Don't worry." Nya cooed. "I'm _right here brother."_

Kai skidded to a stop, and watched, horrified as the figure of his sister transformed into a tall shadow, with burning red eyes that would give a normal person nightmares. The shadow laughed evilly, and Kai glared. "Garmadon." Kai hissed. He reached behind him, only to realize something that made bile rise in his throat. His heart sunk. Kai had left his sword at the campsite.

"Forgot something?" Lord Garmadon teased. Kai grit his teeth.

"You can't hurt me here! Your banished, trapped in the Underworld!" Kai said, knowing he had the advantage.

"And that is why you are going to remove the Sword of Fire for me." Garmadon commanded.

"I don't think so!" Kai shouted angrily.

"Are you sure about that?" . ?docid=44375038Garmadon said. His shadow disappeared, and the rattling of chains rang throughout the temple. Dangling above a pool of lava behind the Sword of Fire was a length of chains, and attached to the very end and tied up so she couldn't escape was Kai's sister.

"Kai!" Nya exclaimed, fear tainting her voice.

"Nya!" Kai shouted.

"If you don't remove the sword..." Garmadon's voice could be heard everywhere and nowhere at once, Kai had no idea where it was coming from. "how else will you cut the chains to save your precious little sister?"

"You know it's a trap." Nya writhed in her chains. "I can- free myself- Okay... that's tight." She screamed suddenly as the chains lowered her down closer to the lava, and sweat beaded her forehead. There was a blast of heat, and Nya panicked. Kai called her name again, and began to run forward, only to be stopped by Garmadon's voice.

"Tick tock, tick tock." He taunted. Kai didn't know what to do, he squeezed his eyes shut, thought for less than a second, then opened them again. His sister or the Sword of Fire, there was no debating this choice. He knew what he had to do. He rushed forward, and snatched the Sword of Fire from it's resting place.

"Ninja, GO!" Kai shouted, determined to free his sister. He used Spinjitzu, and his speed increased exponentially. He was just a blur as the Sword of Fire cut the chains and he caught Nya in his grasp. Kai's Spinjitzu dispersed as he and Nya slid across the cavern floor. Garmadon's laugh resonated over the entire temple, sending chill down the pair of sibling's spines. Their hearts felt like they were in their throats, and they continued across the edge of the cavern, where there happened to be a thin pathway back to leave the temple. "Stay close." Kai warned.

"Trust me." Nya shuttered. "I'm not going anywhere." Kai gazed up, gripping the Sword of Fire in his hand to protect, finding Garmadon was staring down at him like he was starving stray dog's next meal.

"You can't hurt us!" Kai exclaimed. "You're only a shadow!"

"Even shadows have their uses." Garmadon whispered. Kai's shadow moved gracefully as it made it's way to form an obstacle in front of the Red Ninja.

"Kai, look out!" Nya screamed. The shadow swung it's own sword that resembled the Sword of Fire.

"Stay back, Nya." Kai instructed. Nya hopped behind a pointed rock, and complained a bit.

"Stay close, stay back, make up your mind!" She said. Kai moved the Sword of Fire in a manner that said he had been training a while, but it only sliced right through the shadow. When the Red Ninja ended his assault, his shadow moved faster, stronger, and Kai was thrown back several feet.

"That's not fair." Nya whined.

"Oh? Am I being too hard?" Garmadon replied sarcastically. Kai's shadow multiplied into a lot more that blocked the entire walkway to escape, each of them with glowering red eyes. Kai glared in hatred, and continued to attack. He was stopped mid swing when one of the shadows attacked him head on. The others just stood and watched, knowing the battle was a good as won. Kai hit the ground, and grunted on impact as he lost the sword. It clanged to the ground, and one of the shadows grasped it in there hands proudly. Kai tried to reach for it weakly, but without enough sleep or energy to make him fight, his body felt like it weighed so much he couldn't carry.

But the odds changed, and Sensei's Wu shadow made an appearance. No, not his shadow, but the Sensei himself. Using his wisdom, he maneuvered his shadow quicker than the others could comprehend, and within seconds, most the shadows dissolved into black smoke. A shadow puppet eagle scared off the rest, making Wu laugh. With one more fierce kick to the last shadow, Sensei Wu caught the Sword of Fire mid air, and landed lithely.

"Brother." Lord Garmadon said resentfully. "I see you protect one. But what of the other three?"

"They are safe!" Wu snarled. "Far from your grasp, Garmadon!"

"I wouldn't be so confident." Garmadon put his hands together, and glowing white orb appeared, revealing a scene where the four other Ninja seemed to sleep peacefully.

* * *

Cole opened his eyes, having the sudden feeling that something was wrong, he woke up. But he gasped when he realized why. He shot up and reached for his scythe to combat the skeleton that was standing before him, but noticed instantly that it was gone. Cole turned the sound of chuckling, and saw that Kruncha had the sharp blade in hand. On the other side, Jay, Zane, and Silver were tied up, and Nuckal was keeping them from escaping as they struggled violently.

"I believe these belong to Lord Garmadon now." Samukai sneered. Three of his four arms were occupied by the three Golden Weapons the Ninja worked hard to get their hands on. Cheering erupted from the Skulkin Army, and it echoed across the land as a warning to Ninjago. The skeletons were going to win.

* * *

Upon seeing that his other four students had been captured along with the in possession weapons, Sensei Wu devised a plan.

"My brother must not unite the Four Weapons." Sensei dashed for exit, Kai and Nya following suit in hopes of escape. "We must keep them apart!"

"Awaken, guardian of the deep!" Lord Garmadon exclaimed. His shadow figure grew to tower over everyone. "They're stealing the sword! You must not let them escape."

Sensei hopped forward, only for his feet to land on something that grew in size, and he quickly hopped back to stable ground. A large, beautiful fire dragon with gorgeous red scales and claws so sharp they could slice through steel rose from the lava. It's golden eyes saw the Sensei, his student, and Nya all in a group, the elder holding the one thing he was meant to protect. The Sword of Fire. It growled fiercely, warning them to put the sword back. Nya screamed as the mighty beast hit some stalactite from the ceiling, and they fell, blocking the exit. The dragon hissed, giving them one more chance to return the sword or die.

"There's no way out." Kai observed. "He's take away all our options."

"All but one." Sensei said. He made a long jump backward to an unstable edge, and readied the Golden Sword.

"Sensei? What are you doing?" Kai asked. The answer? The one thing no one wanted to happen. He sliced the sword right through the rock like it was nothing, and the chunk began to float away, slowly across the lava.

"No! You fool!" Garmadon screamed as the current pulled the Sensei closer to an edge that would fall into the Underworld. One of the only reasons Garmadon could use his power much more.

"If Garmadon is to bring the other weapons here..." Wu trailed off for a moment, before continuing. He knew this would harm his students emotionally, but if it were to save Ninjago, he was willing to do it. "Then I will take the Sword of Fire to the Underworld." He sat down Mediation style, and bowed his respectfully, grasping the sword tightly like it were the life another person. "It is my sacrifice to bear."

"No, it's mine! I shouldn't have come on my own." Kai protested, trying to convince his Sensei otherwise. "You don't have to do this! There has to be another way!"

Sensei Wu simply pulled out a teapot from what appeared to be nowhere, and he poured himself a cup as the sheet of rock went over the edge faster than you could say "Ninja, go" and use Spinjitzu. Kai screamed in distress, knowing his teacher wouldn't last long. Even after three long weeks of training under him, Kai had quickly grown attached to his Sensei. They had become good friends, and now after a short while, Kai has lost him. The Red Ninja sunk to his knees, and clutched his chest like his heart was on fire, and warm tears spilled out over his cheeks.

"Then I will see you there, brother." Garmadon hissed. He disappeared like the speed of sound, with only the whistling wind and a dragon guardian to leave the two Smith's for company.

"It's all my fault." Kai sobbed. "Sensei won't be able to hold out for long."

Nya hated to see her brother in distress, but knew there were greater things at stake. There lives for example, if they didn't find a way to escape the Fire Temple. The guardian did not seem to be friendly now that the Sword of Fire had been stolen.

"Forget Sensei." Nya whimpered, her blue eyes widen with fear as the dragon growled and readied to attack. "What about us?"

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Hails: We made it to chapter 8! Whoooooo! All that's left is the Skeleton Chase, Dragons to the Underworld, Tornado of Creation, the Battle Between Sensei and Samukai, and Garmadon's Escape! Then the epilogue! Hang on a little bit longer, alright guys?**


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N:**

 **Hails: Skeleton CHAAAAAAAASE!**

 **I need to mention something about Silver. Because her hair is in a long braid, she has a tenancy to pin it up whenever she pulls her hood up. However, she has her times when letting her hood down, she doesn't let her hair down and it stays tied up. So yeah, just had to point that out.**

 **Also, the beginning of this chapter is a little morbid. If you don't like dark poetry or writing, I suggest you skip the second paragraph.**

* * *

The skeletons continued to laugh and cheer like it was the best thing that could ever happen to them, roaring a battle cry as a great warning to the people. In this case it was though. Not only would Lord Garmadon come to rule over Ninjago, but the Skulkin Army would be living like kings and lords, and it would be too easy to give the humans misery.

Humans. Such feeble creatures. So easily broken. Bones that could be shattered with a single, measly twist or fall. Sweet, pale flesh that could be bruised with a simple strike. Beautiful, red blood that would spill from their skin with a quick break. Muscles that could be strained, torn if put to work too hard to accomplish. Innards and organs that could be dug out with a sickle like it was harvesting time. Vocal chords that could be severed by a knife, their screams so melodic to an unforgiving soul. An epidermal cover that was so sensitive and soft, and when struck by a whip it would crack and bleed, become sore. Skulkin are cruel creatures that sing with the blackness, that relish in the dark. Evil, malicious, bloodthirsty, vindictive. They have an insatiable hunger to make all creatures below them suffer. All children would have nightmares, as would most adults.

The Ninja writhed in the ropes that held them in the air, angrily seething at the skeletons for their doltish ignorance of what would be to come, because they thought they could trust, follow Lord Garmadon to a better world. Only the good guys that reveled in the light could truly see the darkness of the matter, and the untrustworthy, dishonest words the King of the Underworld.

"To the Fire Temple!" Samukai screeched in his gravely voice. But a haunting whisper caught his attention, and he turned around with the Golden Weapons gripped tightly in hand to find the shadow of his master glaring evilly.

"My brother has taken the Sword of Fire to the Underworld." Garmadon hissed. "Hurry. Return home and unite the weapons before it's too late." Samukai stared in shock as his master vanished, and turned around with a little uncertainty.

"Uh, change of plans." Samukai spoke. "TO THE UNDERWORLD!"

More screaming continued came from the skeletons, them knowing it was finally time to return home after weeks of searching for the weapons. Nuckal held his weapon up proudly, but then he stupidly realized that he was holding a stick, not his cutlass.

"What happened to your weapon?" Kruncha growled, before walking off. Not waiting to hear his friend's stupid answer. Nuckal shrugged, and tossed the stick behind him nonchalantly. The Skulkin vehicles roared away, their exhaust clogging the Ninja's sense of smell and blinding their eyes. Cole coughed violently, feeling a headache coming on after being tied into a tree upside down, and he almost felt nauseous with the blood rushing to his head.

"Great, now what?" The leader growled.

"Now," Jay said, revealing he had stolen a sword from one of the skeletons. He readied it eagerly. "We get out of here."

"Oh, please be careful." Silver begged upon seeing the sharp, jagged weapon.

"Uh, Jay?" Cole said. "Before you do that you might want to-" Cole was cut off as Jay sliced the main rope holding them, and they fell the ground in a heap. "warn us." Cole groaned. They didn't stand idly by for much longer, and they got to their feet.

"Let's go!" Zane commanded, and it wasn't an order anyone could disagree with. With that, they took off into the night.

* * *

The Skulkin vehicles roared along the rocky, forest path. No tranquility to be spared. The trees were just thin, brown and green blurs. The stars in the sky still shined brightly. It couldn't have been past three in the morning right now. The Skulkin took advantage of the black to stay concealed, and were ready for their journey back to the Underworld. Samukai growled at the rate they were going, and demanded them to speed up.

"Faster!" He exclaimed. The needle slowly turned up from the calming green to the vibrant yellow on the speedometer, but Samukai was still not satisfied. "We need to go faster to cross over to the Underworld!" The skeleton army heeded his words, and charged ahead further. Multiple bikes and small trucks disappeared in a flash of light, but a few, including the major monster truck had yet to cross over.

Just behind them, keeping close on the skeleton's trail, the Ninja were just multi colored blurs dashing from tree to tree. Black, blue, white, and grey darts that could hardly be seen in the dark.

"There they are!" Cole pointed out, seeing the bikes and trucks. Jay noticed without a doubt that he was right, and took to the road with his speed rather than the trees, which Silver chose for her gift in balance and agility.

Samukai wanted to cry out in frustration.

"More speed!" He demanded. "We'll never get back home at this rate!" The skeleton at the wheel narrowed it's eyes, and pulled a lever next to him. The speed increased, going much faster now than ever before. But, it had hardly been a few seconds when the vehicle slowed exponentially, the needle that had been teetering on edge of orange to red, sunk back down to the yellow area. "W- What's wrong?" Samukai glanced behind him, and roared angrily. A loose chain that was attached to monstrous truck was tied around the Black Ninja's scythe, which Cole had a death grip on.

A stealthy flip from Zane landed him on the main truck as well, and he took out the two skeletons simply by ducking down because they weren't paying attention as a tree branch clonked them square in the head. Samukai glanced at the White Ninja, who waved back in a friendly manner.

Jay did a quick three-sixty, and two more scouts literally fell apart at the hand of his nunchucks.

Silver took her place after a powerful jump and knocked aside a warrior effortlessly.

Humans may be more susceptible to injuries due to their soft cover, but skeletons were vulnerable to being taken apart because their own structure was not stable.

"GET THEM!" Samukai demanded furiously. But the large group of skeletons was decreasing in number, fast.

Jay screamed his battle cry at the top of his lungs, and engulfed himself in a brilliant blue tornado. Using the ancient art, he made his way to the back of the truck in search of the very things they needed. Fortunately, he found them with no difficulty to attach it's claws to, and pounded his fist into the padlock clamming the container shut, however though, not a bright move. He winced at the sudden pain and flailed his hand in attempt to shake the discomfort away.

"Okay... that's why they make keys." Jay deadpanned slightly. A light bulb went off in his head, and he figured out a way to maybe open the lock. He gripped the truck's ledge like it was his life, and began scaling the side to the very top where the Black Ninja slammed the flat of the blade of his scythe into the heads of Kruncha and Nuckal. "Hey, Cole-" Jay was cut off abruptly when the back of the scythe struck his throat, hard. He coughed violently, and Cole made it his job to finish taking care of the two idiot Skulkin, who found Jay's pain amusing, and then check on his optimistic friend. He wrapped an arm around Jay's shoulder, and apologized for his accident.

"Jay, sorry. I didn't see you."

Silver slid her daggers into the rib cage of a nearby scout, and twisted the blade so he fell apart. She kicked another one in the skull, making it's head fly off. As she busied herself with one more, she gasped suddenly upon seeing something that could ultimately be everyone's demise. About one mile away, was the side of a mountain, no doubt where to enter the Underworld via how fast you can go. She glanced at how fast the truck was going, estimated forty-five to fifty miles an hour, she determined how much time there was to stop this thing. Otherwise, they could end up in two really unhappy places. And one of them was dead, bleeding, and on the ground. Killed by the impact of a vehicle into a stone mountain.

"Guys!" She said, catching the attention of her fellow teammates. "If we're going to stop this thing, we've got to do it now, otherwise we can end up in the Underworld, or crushed into that mountain. We got two minutes tops!"

Cole nodded, ordering the team to pick up the pace.

Zane took to attention, hopped up to the cockpit of the truck, and greeted the driver. Only to be cut off when Samukai landed a devastating blow to his gut. He rolled across the hood with the wind knocked out of him and gasping for air. Vision spinning, his hands searching desperately for something he could grasp onto. Unfortunately it was very front, a frightening skull decoration almost impaling him.

Samukai proceeded to murder the driver by tossing him overboard, where his sorry bones were crushed to pieces. He took the wheel, and smashed the gas pedal, causing the speedometer needle to rocket from yellow to deep crimson in the span of two seconds. The Ninja could no longer grip onto the truck, and they lost balance, each of their bodies slamming into the ground. A sickening crack coming from most of them.

A flash of light blinded them temporarily, and the truck was gone. The only sign that anyone had ever been there was a trail of flames and a dim, mahogany cracks in the side of the mountain.

The Ninja shakily got to their feet, feeling pain in their ribs, a few must have been broken. They assessed themselves for injuries, finding they were mostly okay, and shaking violently due to the adrenaline wearing off. But a new emotion washed over them like tsunami, and they remained silent, staring at their defeat.

Lightning danced across the sky, and rain began pouring from the sky from clouds that had not been there before. Now soaking wet, chilled to the spine, and feeling miserable, Jay managed to speak up. His voice airy and inaudible, it couldn't be understood. Somehow Cole could make sense of it a little though.

"You don't need to say it. I know." He said solemnly, head downcast and his eyes stinging. His tone suggested, spoke for the way they felt. They had failed to protect their home.

"We've lost."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Hails: My math really sucks. So if I have it wrong with time and miles and numbers with the stone mountain, I don't really care or give a crap.**


	11. Chapter 10

Sensei Wu's eyes fluttered open, his breathing steady, and his head ached from a migraine. He sat up quickly, his crystalline blue eyes reflecting an unmasked feeling of helplessness and fear. He massaged his head, and squeezed his eyes shut. Trying to remember what had happened.

Kai's shouting had awoken him, and he had the impulse to follow his arrogant student to the Temple of Fire. His brother had tricked the young fire starter into believing his sister was in danger, and Sensei had to defend his student and the sibling. His own brother, Lord Garmadon, summoned the guardian of the Sword of Fire from the depths of the broiling lava to stop them. In a last ditch effort to protect Ninjago, he took the Sword of Fire to the Underworld. His irrational decision must've caused the headache, because all he could remember after that was falling. A wretched scream escaping his throat, and his body hitting the rock floor, him blacking out on impact.

He took in his surroundings. Lava glowed dimly, coloring the rocks a faint red. His disposable tea set was shattered where it was, and the Sword of Fire was at his side.

He unsteadily got to his feet, picked up the golden blade, and held it with a death grip. He peered through a narrow crevice, his eyes gathering every detail of the dusky Underworld and sending the information to his brain. By the extra skeletal patrols and guards, he guessed Garmadon had doubled on security to keep the Sensei's students out, and get the weapons in. He backed away and hid suddenly when a group passed by him, and with the amount, he knew what would have to be done. He'd have to get the sword out when no one was looking.

He wrapped the sword in a thin film, counted to thirty, surveyed the area as all patrol moved to another area of the inky blackness, then sprinted across a nearby, sturdy bridge with expert speed. The faster he did this, the better.

* * *

The pouring rain had been reduced to light sprinkling by the time the Ninja had the Temple of Fire in their sights. Still almost literally freezing to death, soaking wet, and filled with a sense of dread, the remaining Ninja's feet pounded against the stone steps leading to the Fire Temple with a little hope in their souls.

Upon reaching the top of the stores, Cole attempted to open the door, glad it wasn't locked, only for it to hit a blockage of some kind. Too heavy to move, not a wide enough space for even Silver or Jay to squeeze through.

"Kai! Sensei!" Cole called, hoping for an answer. Some kind of sign they were okay. A sound of reassurance. Something to relieve his apprehension. But there was nothing. The only one returning his desperate cry for consolation, was silence. Fear's constant companion. Cole felt his heart nearly stop, when there was no reverberation. His breathing intensified, him convincing himself that they were okay. That they were all okay. When really, he had no idea.

"The Sword of Fire was here. As well our friends." Zane said monotonically, as if he were oracle interpreting signs from a distant, omniscient force. His sixth sense must have begun to pick up the remnants of what had occurred. He proceeded to remove his hood, as did everyone else follow his example. His once blank, unreadable face, was now a misunderstood frown. "But I only sense loss." Three pairs of eyes were now on Zane, three pairs of ears listening intently. "We are too late." Everyone bowed there head, letting the information sink in, and awaiting more to make their stomachs lurch forward, their hearts to speed up, left over adrenaline to fuel them. "The elemental weapons have left this realm, and are now in the Underworld." As if there was supposed to be a pause for dramatic effect, Zane was silent for a few seconds. "The end is drawing near."

Cole groaned, running a hand down his face and feeling defeated.

"Great." He said, a flurry emotions flooding through him. Rage. Pure unadulterated fury. Sadness, loss, helplessness. Confusion. The stress of a leader. "The one place no mortal can cross over."

 _"We may not be able to crossover."  
_

A familiar voice resonated from inside the ancient of temple. The ground shook, and a rumbling noise filled the air. The four Ninja quickly backed away from the temple, sensing it may do something unexpected, and that they must be prepared for anything. In a world full of surprises, of all things, the temple began to split apart. Causing dust and dirt to cloud their vision. When it cleared, in all it's glory and beauty. Reflective crimson scales, piercing golden eyes, long, powerful wings. A roar of strength.

A dragon, towering above the Ninja, and who else to be riding it's back than their impulsive, impatient friend.

"But a dragon can!" Wrapping her arms around Kai's waist, and clinging to him for dear life was a girl they didn't recognize. One that made Jay's eyes light up brighter than the starts, made his his heart beat faster. Made his breathing ragged. He had heard about the damsel in distress, but a girl this pretty? No, this stunning, was not what he was expecting.

Her silky black hair, her intense blue eyes, her clear, flawless skin.

In his eyes, she was perfect.

A vile scream worked it's way out of Cole's throat, and he was the first one to hide in fear.

Kai hopped off the dragon, staring at his leader, amused at his reaction. He hadn't thought that Zane was being serious when he said Cole was afraid of dragons. Then again, since when is there a time that Zane jokes about things?

"Our father used to tell us stories about the dragons." The girl said, awestruck like most everyone else. "They were mystical creatures that belonged to both worlds, and varied between them."

Cole spluttered, staring with big, black eyes. It was evident he was not a fan of dragons.

"Are you insane!" He exclaimed. No one answered his question.

"Whoa." Silver said in awe. "How did you..." She trailed off at loss for words.

"Once he realized we were trying to protect the Sword of Fire, he actually became quite a softy." Kai explained, chuckling a little when the dragon nuzzled him playfully. "Knock it off."

Nya laughed a little too, upon seeing the dragon had proceeded to muss Kai's hair much more than it already was. But an airy, unintelligible voice caught her attention. Zane was by Jay's side in seconds to translate.

"He cannot speak." He explained. "But he wants to know if you like blue."

"Of course, it's my favorite color." Nya answered bashfully, her cheeks tinged a faint pink in a blush. The only was response was a word from Jay everyone could actually understand. One of triumph and pride.

"Yes." He whispered, pumping his fist as if to say "score!"

Nya hopped down off the dragon, taking a place next to her older brother. But a frown played across Kai's lips, and he soon spoke, uncertainty, but an overprotective brother complex tainting his voice.

"Nya..."

"This is goodbye isn't it?" The young woman asked sadly, her big blue eyes begging her brother to take her with him. Kai nodded, having dealt with her sad, disappointed look before. She wrapped her arms around Kai's neck, and whispered to him. "Come back to me in one piece, okay?" She pulled away, a lighthearted verve to her voice. "I don't want to have to run the store on my own."

"I promise, I won't be gone for long." Kai reassured.

"I'll keep a candle lit outside our shop until you return." Nya said as his brother leapt effortlessly back onto the dragon. Jay, Zane, and Silver followed his example promptly and without hesitation. Cole on the other hand...

"You guys go on ahead." So much for _"You need to remember we're a team."._ "There's not enough room for us on that... thing."

The dragon growled, signaling it had taken mild offense to Cole's remark about it being a "thing". Kai smirked, a mischievous glint in his honey colored eyes.

"You're right, Cole." Kai said smugly. Whatever was going on in his head, could not have been good.

"But I got a way to fix that."

* * *

 **A/N:  
**

 **Hails: Sorry for late updates. Been super busy and such. School is starting.**


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N:**

 **Hails: Um... how much more left do we have to do? Infiltrating the Underworld, Tornado of Creation, Sensei vs Samukai, Peace in Ninjago, Epilogue. So what's that? 5 more chapters? Or 4 plus the epilogue? I can't believe it.**

 **This story will probably be my shortest one right next to A Ninjago Christmas Carol.**

* * *

Cole clung to the Earth Dragon's saddle like it was a life line. And in his case it probably was, seeing as how they were flying high above the clouds. One wrong misstep or you lose your grip, and you plummet to the ground hundreds of feet below.

The cold wind in their face, their hair whipping every which direction, the fresh air where you could breath when you couldn't anywhere else. The dragon's powerful wing beat, a roar of dominance. The view of the forests, glaciers, deserts, cities. The very thought of being above everyone else made them feel as if they were on top of the world, invincible. The feeling of being free. That's what it was like to fly.

The sky was still dark, but slowly lighting up as the sun in the east horizon began to shine its rays over the peak of the mountainous region they were now flying over. It had been a couple hours of traveling. Maybe two at the most, so it was estimated to be five in the morning.

"Whoa!" Jay exclaimed, as his dragon drafted behind a little, catching a ride that made his stomach flip flop as if he were on a roller coaster. "This is awesome!"

Zane was just behind him as the dragons dove down in graceful swoops, which made him feel a sense of joy. It felt new to the white Ninja. Different, unlike he'd ever felt before. Pure adrenaline, unadulterated excitement.

"Yes, this is quite fun." He answered, as Silver whooped from her seat behind Kai. Not exactly having time to fetch a support dragon, it was down to four dragons and getting hers later. So she was stuck on the back of Kai's dragon, clinging to his waist and for once in a long time, she felt obliged she could let her hair down, out of it's braid. In long thick waves that whipped around her, and her blue eyes sparkled with excitement.

"This is incredible!" She released Kai from her arms and threw them up into the sky to catch the gusts heading their way. "I wish I had my own dragon." For a few minutes there was nothing but freestyle flying before Cole muttered the question impatiently that had escaped everyone's mind.

"So, how do they cross over to the Underworld?"

"I think we're about to find-" Kai was cut off abruptly, the last of his sentence being drowned out when the dragons did a sudden dive at adrenaline inducing speeds. Everyone gripped onto either the reins or another secure fixture attached to the saddles, and cried out fearfully. When they began spinning incredibly fast, the whole world turned to a blur.

Cole squeezed his eyes shut, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the reins. When the wind wasn't as powerful against his face, he dared open his eyes and look at his surroundings.

"Is it over?" He asked.

"Hardly." Kai answered simply. "I hope these dragons know what they're doing."

The winged reptilians maneuvered lively throughout the dusky tunnels, not a single part on their slim, strong bodies beings scraped by the array of spectral crystals protruding from every which direction of the caves. Some of them made of fire, others crackling with lighting, and even simple, deep violet spears. There were cracks along the walls, glowing shades of red and purple and over all, the sight was one of the most breathtaking anyone had ever seen.

By this time, there were smiles concealed behind multiple hoods as the Ninja all relaxed slightly, realizing it was not much danger. By then, even some were pulling a few tricks to one-up each other. Zane did no hands, and there was even a point that Kai shook his head, Silver groaning next to him in annoyance when Jay started flying upside down.

But even this moment of bliss had to end.

Everyone's stomach lurched forward a bit when the dragon's speed seemed to pick up.

"Their speeding up!" Kai exclaimed. "Hold on!"

The was the last thing anyone heard before there was complete darkness.

* * *

The Ninja were thrown from their dragons when they stopped suddenly, somersaulting over hard rock and fortunately coming to stop before rolling off cliff and into a deep, endless abyss. Multiple groaning in displeasure at the pain among their bodies, ever since the fight against Samukai.

Cole was the first to lift his head, taking in the new surroundings, and finding most of it black or at least foggy with darkness. Most of the Underworld seemed to consist of islands drifting from place to place, some chained to others by bridges.

"Solid ground." He said, relieved. He was back in his own element. "We made it!"

The black Ninja had to squint to make out some of the figures that he could see. A couple isles were illuminated by violet flames on many a torch. At the very bottom hazy, thick lava bubbled menacingly. On a nearby islet, Skulkin Patrol surveyed area, every single one of full alert and eyeing every nook and cranny for any color Ninja.

The Ninja regarded the Underworld in a mild respect, knowing full well underestimation is a weakness, and has caused hundreds of downfalls in a lifetime.

"Sensei is inside." Zane said, feeling his sixth sense activate again.

"Looks like they're expecting us." Kai glared at the island where most skeleton warriors busied themselves looking for Ninja.

"No kidding." Silver whispered. She peered curiously at the supplies entering and exiting one of the many structures built upon the islands.

* * *

"Hold it!" Kruncha forbade a skeleton party from entering as he studied a cart of materials about to enter Samukai's palace, a magnificent building towering above anything else in the Underworld. "Nothing gets through without inspection."

The words had barely escaped his teeth before Nuckal's sharp voice pierced what would have been his best friend's ears if he had any.

"NINJA SEARCH!"

Nuckal bounced onto the cart, and heaved barrels and crates overboard to scrutinize for himself. To put in the most subtle way, he tore the entire thing apart. Kruncha cringed at the noise, staring in disbelief at his friend's stupidity. He was more of the excited type, but in Kruncha's head, that did not give Nuckal a reason to a be a numskull.

When the childlike Skulkin finished, he was back at Kruncha's side, who groaned sadly in hopes that Samukai wouldn't demand their heads on a silver platter for this idiocy.

* * *

Kai kept a death grip on stalactites, making sure no one, especially himself, fell as it was extremely difficult to hang onto. _Climb the Mountain of Impossible Height? Easy. Holding onto stalactites while sneaking into Skulkin Territory and if you fall into lava you're doomed? Not so much._ Kai thought fearfully as he swallowed down his fear. He swung to the next spear protruding from the ceiling and he glanced down when a shard of rock plummeted down to the island, and whether fortunately or unfortunately he couldn't tell, hit one poor sap of a Skulkin Soldier who passed out. _He's going to feel that in the morning._

Jay hugged a thin rock, but regretted the decision when he felt it move. He looked up and in a panic tried to gain his teammates attention with a raspy voice that scratched his throat raw. However his efforts were to no avail as a slightly content Cole whispered to Kai about how much a pleasure it was that Jay was actually forced to keep quiet thanks to his voice. It wasn't until they felt their own stalactites moving that realized why Jay was flailing around trying to grasp the team's awareness. Spiders bigger than what normal ones should be like glared at them with blood red eyes, disgusting mucus kept their legs slippery and hard to hold, and their jowls were just inches away from tearing a chunk of flesh from their body. .

With no other choice than to release their cling, the Ninja went skydiving and landed with harsh impact on the solid rock. They groaned, knowing they had blown their cover.

A few feet away, Kruncha was distracted as Nuckal asked him a question.

"Uh... if there are more than one Ninja, is it "ninjas" or just "ninja"?" He asked curiously.

"I think it's just Ninja." Kruncha answered honestly, finally realizing why his friend had asked him such a question.

"Oh, okay. Then..." Nuckal trailed off, ready to alert the troops.

"NINJA!"

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Hails: And that's chapter 11. Sorry for the late updates, school just started. I'm getting a laptop! YAY ME! However, I also have to apologize that these chapters are so short. I really want to make them more like 2000 to 4000 words long, but... it's kinda hard to.  
**

 **I'm still in that stage where I'm developing my writing style.**


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N:**

 **Hails: Sorry, sorry. I'm almost done with the story.**

* * *

Cornered from every direction, the only option the Ninja had was to fight and hope they survived. In fighting stance and weapons in hand, each one glared out into the audience of Skulkin, ready for battle. The more they advanced, the more adrenaline pumped through they're living veins and heart. They shook violently with masked fear, and refused to show their weakness to their enemies.

"I count ten boneheads to every one of us." Cole stated aloud, letting his eyes sweep the battle field. Confined, dark, and at a disadvantage in numbers. "I think I like these odds."

It was then that fate chose to create a challenge, worthy of the Ninja's pride and fighting style. Multiple of the spiders they had faced seconds before dropped down from the ceiling, towering above them menacingly.

"Great, there are more of them." Silver groaned.

"Anyone got any bright ideas?" Kai asked, feeling a sudden sense of dread course through him.

"Don't you think I would've suggested it, if I had one?" Silver retorted.

"Shut up and think of an idea!"

* * *

Breathing rapidly, feet pounding down the steps, grasping the weapon, searching for an escape. Limited time and only worry to fill Sensei to the precipice like a glass of water. Air circulated through his lungs at a near hyperventilating pace as he forced his feet to move down the narrow, spiral staircase. Upon reaching the bottom, he dashed across a bridge constructed finely out of bones and twine that was shockingly sturdy.

Sensei kept himself moving, but he stopped suddenly when he realized where he had wandered into. The throne room. Garmadon's throne room.

Why his brother hadn't been sitting atop it, high, mighty, and corrupted to a black heart was a mystery. Wu tried not to dwell on the possibilities of Garmadon's whereabouts, and instead searched for a different route of escape in the murky ink of the Underworld.

Wu felt a chill run up his spine, as he knew there was a pair of eyes watching impatiently. Ruby eyes. Eyes embedded with blood lust. A deep, evil chuckle escaped Lord Garmadon's throat as he glowered. He wanted Wu to be dead, how it burned and ached every fiber in his body that the satisfaction of not seeing his brother's body dead and mangled almost tore him apart from the inside. How badly he wanted to be the one to wrap his hands around Wu's throat, and squeeze.

"Brother." Garmadon whispered.

Wu turned suddenly, eyeing his brother with crystalline blue eyes that had ignited a fire of determination and protection. Lord Garmadon's skin consisted of a rough, black epidermal husk, and his rib cage was visible from Sensei's point of view. They protruded from his skin, disgusting and beautifully pearly white at the same time. Upon his head was a helmet of deep shadows, one that portrayed Lord Garmadon as an authority figure that should be respected.

Wu took an amount of force and applied to revealing the Sword of Fire for a fight.

"Brother." He said resentfully back. He advanced slowly towards his unarmed brother, who had a plan in mind.

"Seize the sword." Garmadon commanded.

Skeleton warriors appeared from everywhere, but in the eyes of Sensei, they were nothing but foot soldiers. Petty warriors that only required mere Spinjitzu to defeat.

"You'll have to take it from me." Wu said, stubbornly and prepared for whatever his darker sibling could throw at him. Footsteps and rattling bones filled the chamber as General Samukai stepped into the room, the other three Golden Weapons in possession.

"My pleasure." He growled in a threatening, gravely voice.

Samukai lunged for Sensei Wu, who was forced to step back. A chip of stone cascaded to the lava as Wu was pushed to the edge of the arena. Samukai loosed forth a battle cry, and made another swipe for Wu, but missed once more as the teacher dodged at maneuvered himself to behind the general. It was series of lithe movements as Wu avoided being struck by Samukai.

"Teach him a lesson." Garmadon hissed.

* * *

"Any ideas?" Kai asked once more. "I'm still all ears."

The red Ninja swung his sword, driving a few skeletons back a few feet, delaying them from the inevitable. It was then that Jay hopped forward, and rapidly tried to coax the words of his plan out of his throat. His voice was still raspy and hoarse, and there was no way to make out what he could saying.

"You feel a weird sensation?" Cole queried curiously.

Only the word "no" was weakly made out as Jay shook his head in an answer.

"You ate an odd crustacean?" It was Zane's turn to question his friend's indecipherable words, which Jay chose to repeat.

"There are earthly vibrations?" Silver tried to guess, and she was soon followed after with Kai's answer.

"I got it, I got it!" Kai exclaimed excitedly. "Two natives on vacation."

Jay groaned sadly, trying again to make his voice work. It may have been their only hope.

"Tornado of Creation!" He finally managed.

Ignoring the stupid guesses that were thought of earlier, Cole attempted a word of warning.

"But, it could lead to disastrous consequences."

"And keep in mind, I'm a support element. I could make it stronger, or completely blow it for everyone." Silver added. "I don't know if I want to risk death and destruction."

"Yeah well, we're about to have a disastrous consequence." Kai reminded them of the situation surrounding them, enclosing the five in a battle they could never win. It would be risky to perform the Tornado of Creation, each one of them knew that. But if they didn't, they might just as very well count themselves as dead. They wouldn't go down without a fight, even with limited options.

Cole sighed knowingly, and readied himself for a tragedy to occur.

"Let's do this." He commanded.

"Earth!"

He was the first to use Spinjitzu, and earthy brown color with debris whirled around him. He worried for his team, and on his part he swore that nothing would happen to them, and that he would die first to protect them.

"Fire!"

Kai was next, and his red churning, broiling tornado that would cause a nasty burn to anyone, felt welcoming to himself. He channeled the warmth of his flames, and focused on creating something out of nothing.

"Ice!"

The blizzard made of ice, swirling with prisms of beautiful, yet deadly shards of cold water, frozen in a reflective allure. Zane begged fate to have mercy, asked for chance that they may succeed in keeping Garmadon away from the weapons.

"Lightning!"

Shocking blue and bolts of light engulfed Jay in a cyclone of lightning and thunder that reined supreme and sporadic and uncontrollable. Unable to be tied down by a leash. The one thing Jay wanted more in the world, was to see her face again. If love at first sight existed, then this was it. He wanted chance with Nya, even Kai didn't like it. He had something to fight for. Her.

"Wind!"

A gale of air spun almost like a real twister in Silver's field of vision. She knew she had not much to live for before meeting the team. She had to fight for them. She had to fight for the chance to prove herself a good friend, a sister in the eyes of the other Ninja. To make up for her mistakes in the past.

The Tornado of Creation was a combined in a storm of all the elements together. Flames more powerful, earth stronger, lightning faster than ever before that had been created. Particles that had formed from nothing, appeared, coming together greatly.

The skeletons feared, and ran for what little they could muster. Most were trembling and refused to remain animate. They froze, being sucked into the tornado.

When the move of power dispersed, each Ninja was standing. Each still in tact and feeling perfectly fine.

They looked up at their creation, they felt proud, a little confused at who could've imagined the design, but satisfied they had stopped the Skulkin before they could actually attack.

The horror themed amusement attraction spun slowly, a Ferris Wheel with clawed cages to prevent escape. Pieces of it were lit up in violet flames of the Underworld. It was dark, shades of purple decorating it nicely. Overall, it got the job done.

The Ninja sped off into the darkness, not waiting another moment to spare to save their Sensei.


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N:**

 **Hails: Aaaaay, I'm here. I apologize deeply for the short chapter. But I'd rather go with a short chapter because it's easiest to type, and the epilogue is just after this.  
**

* * *

The Ninja watched in horror as their Sensei fought off Samukai the best he could. Their weapons clashed multiple times, making a scraping sound every time they came in contact. Wu made a swipe for Samuakai's head, missing by mere centimeters. The Ninja began to advance, but stopped when Kai held his arms out in protest.

"No, this is Sensei's fight." He said, shaking his head in a disagreement to go down there.

But they might as well have been putting Wu on death's doorstep, because after the latter recoiled from shooting a stream of fire, Samukai used the Shurikens of Ice, and froze the sword into the ground, pinning Wu's hand along with it. He pulled at the sword furiously, struggling to free himself. He watched in fear as his enemy charged the weapons of lightning to a very high power level.

The Ninja watched helplessly as Sensei Wu jerked the sword out of the black rock just as Samukai hurled the bolt towards him. Wu rolled out of the way just in time, unprepared when the Skulkin General had lost his temper. He had attempted time and time again to destroy Sensei Wu, his students, or anything that felt dear to him, and he couldn't. He always failed, and his anger clouded his perception to make out the possibilities of this situation. Samukai struck the ground, embedding the Scythe of Quakes into the stone, and causing the island to split apart ever so slightly three directions.

Sensei Wu could only hold out so much longer, and he was finally defeated as he dropped the sword helplessly. The Ninja cringed at the sight of their fallen teacher. Multiple open wound injuries and even more surface affliction littered his limp body, and he reached weakly for the sword just as Kai had that very night Garmadon had used his own shadows to defeat the Fire Ninja. He had a sharp intake of breath at the smug look on his brother's face.

"Bring me the four weapons." He commanded in a silky, alluring voice similar to that of a snake's. Samukai stared at the weapons in a manner of hesitancy, as if contemplating whether or not he should be listening to his master. He had been dealing with Lord Garmadon's orders left and right, having lost control of the reign he once held over the Underworld as it's king. He had no choice if he were to stay alive. But, with the most powerful weapons in all four of his hands right now, maybe he wouldn't have to listen to commands any longer.

"No!" Samuaki shrieked with a turn, and glared at Lord Garmadon with burning red eyes. "You will obey me now!"

Lord Garmadon's only response was that of an evil laugh, one that suggested he was only amused with Samukai's sudden rebellion. The wind seemed to pick up in the dank, dark throne room and Samukai could suddenly find he couldn't release the the weapons from his hands.

"No one can handle all of their power at once." Wu said weakly, managing to slowly get to his feet, and with the help of Kai and Zane, he stood by his pupils' side.

"Selfish fool." Lord Garmadon sneered, relishing in the eminent worry on the Skulkin General's face. "Did you think I wouldn't plan on your betrayal?"

Samukai felt pain course through his sorry bones, hating that for once he could actually feel this utter torment. His hands were stuck like glue to the weapons, and he begged for it to stop.

"What's... happening... to me?" He whimpered sadly.

"You've fallen right into my master plan." Garmadon chuckled, a content, satisfied look in his blood orange eyes. "Not even I could handle all of their power. But now that they are combined, it will create a vortex through space and time. Allowing me to finally escape this ghastly place!"

There was the sick sound of bones snapping as the weapons dropped to the floor, and Samukai vanished, only leaving a swirling spiral of transportation in the midst of the Ninja and their Sensei. Lord Garmadon took his place before the portal, smiling happily before his ticket out of the Underworld.

"Father would not want you to do this, brother." Wu pleaded, his crystalline eyes welling with silent tears.

"Father is no longer here." Garmadon snarled, feeling a new kind of hatred for his brother. "Good and evil, there has always been a balance. Where I go, the balance can be destroyed." The portal's light shone brighter than before, temporarily blinding Garmadon from his brother's vision. "Soon, I will be strong enough to possess the four weapons. So I may recreate the world, in my image!" Lord Garmadon turned for a moment, a second passed he glared at Wu, loathing his choice to be good and have an actual moral incentive. "You," He hissed. "you were always his favorite."

The portal vanished, as did Lord Garmadon. Deciding it to be safe, the Ninja reached the four weapons and held them tightly, grateful they hadn't been used to for anything more dastardly than what had just occured here seconds ago.

"He is gone." Sensei Wu said, surveying the surroundings. "But he will return."

"Then we'll be ready for him." Kai stated confidently, knowing it was the very truth.

"And we'll keep an eye out in case he has anymore of his evil plans." Cole added.

"Then, I have done my part." Wu said, pleased with the improved attitude of his students. "The balance has been restored. For now."

* * *

The darkness seemed to recede from Ignacia, a beautiful sunrise gazing over the valley of rice farms and small houses. The citizens opened their windows, stepped out of the doors, finding it would be a beautiful day today. Perfect weather for farming. That is, if it hadn't been the day of the Dragon Festival. The only one who could not be seen outside and smiling with joy was Nya Smith.

She resided inside the shop, waiting for her brother. She had been up all night, unable to sleep knowing he could be in danger. There were dark circles under her eyes as she watched the flame on the candle go out. She grasped her cup of chamomile tea, feeding off it's warmth and the hope it gave her that Kai would return home. But even as the spark diminished, so did every flick of fire in her eyes. She lost her faith, believing he might actually be gone from her life much like her father and mother were.

How she yearned to hear a the sound of his voice as he walked into the shop, him groaning in desperation to get the weapons he crafted just right when he never could. She wanted to look into his honey colored eyes again, and feel safe in his warm embrace. To feel his strong, steady heartbeat when she was snuggled up against his chest. His even breathing letting her know he was still alive. Even the sound of a dragon's wingbeat to let her know he was nearby. Even then, she could almost here the dragon. It's roar of pride, it's landing causing a miniature earthquake.

But maybe she did hear it. A dragon. Perhaps what she wanted to know as the truth, really was the truth. She dropped her tea cup on the floor, not caring about the mess she would clean up later. A wave of relief flooded her as she watched a crimson reptile land in the front of Four Weapons. She was outside in mere seconds to squeeze her brother into a tight hug, which he returned gratefully.

"Kai." She breathed.

"My turn!" She recognized that voice. It was raspy and hoarse when she first heard it, but it was still unmistakable. She hadn't known his name, but still, she giggled a little when she hugged the blue Ninja as well. Both of them choosing to ignore Kai's at first disapproving, but then easygoing stare.

Cheers from the farmers brought the Ninja together to humble themselves before the praise. But who were they really kidding, they couldn't help but bask in the pride they felt.

"I'm so happy you're back." Nya said, blinking back tears of joy.

"For now." Kai said dejectedly. "But it's not over. Lord Garmadon will return." The cheers of the surrounding villagers ceased as they stared solemnly with questioning eyes. Hoping eyes that what he said couldn't be true.

"And we'll be ready for him." Cole stated, causing a rather depressing moment to look positive again.

But the moment of bright joy was cut off horrifically as when anyone standing within ten feet of the Golden Weapons was thrown back after four of the Ninja thought it might be a good idea to clash them together. A chorus of gasps escaped the crowd as Kai managed to sit up with a dazed look.

"Okay, we gotta remember not to do that again." There was an agreement between everyone there, and even a laughing moment for a joke about high fives instead.

And then there was peace.


	15. Epilogue

**A/N:**

 **Hails: Last chapter guys. It's the epilogue. I'm not gonna lie, thank you so much for sticking with me all the way throughout this story. I'm glad some of you found it interesting when it was mostly just for my own entertainment. Look forward to the sequel soon,** **Rise of the Snakes,** **and some sweet fluff between brothers, sisters, and teachers. Definitely not Serpentine though. One too many traitors for Lloyd's taste. And then here comes the Green Ninja argument. I have yet to decide if Silver will get entangled in that mess.**

 **So, if I had to list out a chapter organization, if I'm doing this right, then it might go something like this.**

 **Secrets of the Blacksmith, Flight of the Dragon Ninja, The New Masters of Spinjitzu, The Wind Ninja and the Slave Girl, An Under Wordly Take Over, Return to the Fire Temple, Battle Between Brothers, Lord Garmadon's Return, Candy Goof, Tournament of the Green Ninja, Releasing the Hypnobrai, Return to Jamanakai Village, A Lesson Learned the Hard Way is Still a Lesson Learned, Sneak Hypnotism, Feeling at Home, Falcon Friend, Tree House Disaster, Burnt and Angry, All Hail Scales, A Brother's Forgiveness, Respecting the New Base, Fanpyre's Release, Embarrassing Parents, Snakebit, An Unsettling Visit, Resolving Altercations, Seeming Dreams, United Scaly Friends, The Most Feared Anacondrai, The Enemy Plays, Pythor's Betrayal, Taken Underneath his Wing, Troublemaker, Pinpointing the Tombs, "It's a Trap!", Mysterious Samurai, and so on so on so on! That is a long paragraph by itself.  
**

 **That being said about the story, I won't keep you waiting any longer with the Author's Note, and we'll get a move on.**

* * *

Ignacia's very own Dragon Festival was the most entertaining it had been in years. With new friends to join, authentic dragons to make it real and fun, and twice the turn out as the usual festival, to say it was incredible this year was an understatement.

Old style Ninjean music was blasted from many different instruments such as the flute, drums, koto, shakuhachi, shamisen, and never excluding the wooden fish. There were multiple performers, dancers, and a paper dragon costume was being guided around by many adults and teenagers for entertainment. Confetti littered the air, and most attention was brought over to the Ninjean ribbon dancers, Nya included among them. Kids were seen running around the main area of the festival with colored ricepaper dragons attached to sticks, even a few running over to the real dragons to play. The reptiles were mostly friendly to the children, one rather indifferent and hoping to get a dirt nap in, but finding it impossible as the little ones climbed onto his back and used his tail as a slide. Eventually the Earth Dragon became rather tired of their little charades, and lumbered over to another area of the grounds to get peace and quiet. That didn't stop the kids from still trying to get him to play, though.

However, the other dragons found it quite endearing to watch the children climb all over him with their grubby hands and snot ridden faces, figuring they could clean themselves later despite the Ice Dragon's obvious protested when one of the little monsters sneezed and he couldn't bring himself to stare at the disgusting sight. The Fire Dragon was getting the most attention out of them all, as a group of children stood in front of him attempting poor imitations of his roar. With an uplifting spirit, he demonstrated that very roar for them, and though at first they were surprised, the kids broke out into happy cheers.

Kai gazed across the scene, keeping an eye out for any mischief his dragon might be causing. He sighed, relieved that nothing had been caught on fire yet.

"Jeez, calm down will you?" Cole asked, tossing a rice ball into his mouth with a pair of chopsticks. "You're the one who invited us to shindig, so the least you can do is not act mopey."

"I'm not mopey, just worried about the dragons." Kai said, letting his eyes wander again over to the group of winged reptiles.

"They won't hurt anyone, Kai." Jay pointed out. "They're actually very tame."

"Jay's right you know." Silver said, before muttering a "For once." under her breath.

"I heard that!" Jay exclaimed, jabbing a pair of chopsticks in front of Silver's face to annoy her. She responded quickly by batting them away and retorting snarkily.

"You were meant to hear it." She said. "Besides, you really shouldn't take what I say too seriously."

Jay scoffed, and continued eating.

"Whatever." He replied.

Silver shook her head, before pushing her empty plate away, which had hardly been full moments ago. Her blue eyes scanned the area, looking for anything interesting to catch her attention. She smiled when another girl caught her vision, and she turned to Kai with a mischievous look on her face.

"Hey, Kai." Silver said. "See that redhead over there?"

"Yeah." Kai answered, seeing a young woman with bright red hair tied into a ponytail, green eyes, and a pearly white smile that glistened. He stared at her curiously, but looked away nervously when she made eye contact. "Why do you ask?"

"I dare you to go over and dance with her."

Kai had a spit take there and now with cup of water. He choked on the drink for a moment, before seeing that the young woman was laughing at him. A blush creeped up onto his face, and the red Ninja sent a dark scowl at Silver.

"Why?" He hissed. "Why would you do that?"

"Because aside from watching the dragons, you've been staring at her all night." Silver pointed out. And to the honest truth, Kai had been staring at her. He couldn't quite place what it was about her that made him stare. Was it the beautiful red hair? The enticing green eyes? Maybe just the fair, sooth complexion. But one thing for sure, she was much more than just pretty.

He stared, dumbfounded as the girl motioned for him to come over. Kai pointed at his own chest, and the girl tilted her head in question, as if to ask if he was being stupid. She nodded her head and once again motioned for him to come.

"Well, go on!" Silver urged, pushing Kai out of his chair. "She wants to meet you."

Kai swallowed the lump in his throat, not saying a word, and he slowly made his way over to the redhead. Silver anticipated for the right moment, and fist pumped when the two started dancing to a much slower, moving song. Sakura Cherry Blossoms. It wasn't really meant for romance, but rather more a calm relaxing song, one to sway to the sound.

The two hardly had started their dancing as the song proceeded to the melody. There were no words, but none needed to be spoken for the song, as the title was self explanatory. It spoke about the Sakura Trees that bloomed during the first weeks of the fall season. The tree was almost entirely covered in pink cherry blossoms, and when they fell from the tree, it was the most beautiful sight. Even more breathtaking during a sunset when the petals blew away in the chilly wind.

Everything had been perfect in that few seconds they had of dancing. Lost in each other's eyes. Honey into green. One of the most gorgeous color combinations. Kai began speaking, trying to start a conversation.

"Uh, I'm Kai." He began. "Sorry, if I seemed a little stupid back there with my friends."

The girl opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off when a column of flames rose into the air and multiple cries of terror were heard. Kai groaned as he watched the Fire Dragon fight with a food vendor over some spicy cajun sausage on a skewer.

"I knew this would happen." Kai bit his lip, before pulling away from the girl and holding his hands up in a defensive position. "I am so sorry, I have to go. I'll be back in a minute."

He didn't wait for the woman's answer as bolted across the grass to a well, and fortunately there was already a full bucket. He yanked the bucket from the rope and dashed over to a particularly large fire, and threw the water onto it. He breathed a sigh of relief at the charred grass, glad it wasn't on fire anymore. He turned to face the Fire Dragon as many other villagers attempted to stomp out the smaller flames. The shadow that fell across Kai's face was enough to let the wyvern know he was in deep trouble. With a swift lecture about his actions, the Fire Dragon whimpered a bit. The puppy dog eyes were too much for Kai, though, and he finally caved, forgiving the magnificent beast. After apologizing deeply to the unhappy food vendor for the reptile's actions, Kai strode off, pursing his lips into a thin like as he searched for the young woman he was dancing with moments before.

He walked around the crowd, trying to find her. But his hunt for the beautiful girl with emerald eyes and strawberry hair was in vain, and to no avail as whoever Kai had been dancing with, had simply, for lack of a better term, vanished. With a sigh of defeat, Kai somberly made his back to the table and sat back down in his seat, poking at his cold food with a lost appetite.

"She's gone?" Silver asked with a sad, knowing smile. Kai nodded, heartbroken and feeling slightly more anxious that he couldn't find the girl no matter where he searched. The vendor's booths, the stage with the dancers, or even just mingling with the crowd. He frowned solemnly, accidentally tipping his cup over and spilling the contents onto the wood. "Well, hey. You still had a fairly good time, right? Don't deny that, let's get a picture."

From the bag Silver had brought over after a trip to the monastery, she pulled out a camera and called Nya over, who didn't bother to wipe the kabuki make up off, making her complexion look in all odds, extremely pale. They looked into the lens, big, goofy grins spread across their faces as they took positions for the photo that would officially mark the night of their brother and sisterhood. The one to remember as the grass and tents caught on fire, the night to remember the one that got away, and the one to put into memory, as the best night ever. Not because it was the Dragon Festival, or everything had gone smoothly aside from the flames, not because there was laughing and food and drinks, but because this year it was spent with the best people. It's our friends who make us a part of who we are.

The flash sealed the loyalty and honor between the group of happy siblings, and the rest of the night was used to celebrate and be merry. What more could a hopeless yet hopeful bunch ask for? This picture, was the first to go in the metaphorical album book of the Ninja's adventures. Starting with Skulkin, going through snakes and clones and robots and psycho theater enthusiasts and cursed spirits.

And if you were to ask Silver, thirty years from now why she had a grainy photo of her and five other people from so long ago, she'd say it was because if you take a picture it will last longer, and a picture is worth a thousand words. So, the pictures she has, are worth a thousand of the most memorable moments in history.


End file.
